Stop Watch
by SilverTurtle
Summary: Something is wrong with Jennifer. Suzie knows it, why else would Jennifer be running around with a stop watch? AU
1. Chapter 1

A/N: I missed most of yesterday's episode but I remembered the part where Suzie went up to Jennifer at her locker and fingered her hair. Well, I decided to take that a tad bit further which makes this an AU. Woot for alternate universes.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. I only dream things like this up every now and then.

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Something's wrong with Jennifer. She's speeding around everywhere, she won't stop to talk, she's stopped changing her clothes, and she missed volleyball yesterday! What the heck is wrong with her? I will find out, I just have to catch her first.

I only catch glimpses of her all day. She looks stressed, her hair is lank and dirty, she's in the same clothes as yesterday, and she's running around with…is that a stop watch? What the heck is she doing with a stop watch? And why is she carrying all of her books? Those are supposed to be in her locker.

That wasn't the worst either. She blew off Ned in the halls; she's never ever done that before. He's one of her best friends and she's always made time for him before. It must be worse than I thought. It is worse, even Mr. Chopsaw got the cold shoulder. That's it. Time for an intervention!

I chase her through the halls and miraculously corner her at her locker. I'm totally in her personal space and asking her what the heck is going on. What she tells me is utterly ridiculous. "I don't have time to chat Suzie I've got to go study. I don't want another F." Oh gracious, this is about one grade…just _one_ failing grade. I roll my eyes. I'd kill to have had only one failing grade, but I've failed tests before, it's no big deal.

She tries to speed off but I catch her before she can and pin her against the lockers, making sure to keep an arm on either side of her and press her back. She has little room to move and is struggling to get away. "Suzie! Let me go! I have to study I have to keep my grades up I don't have time for this!" And she keeps trying to push me away, but I don't let go.

I try to talk to her but my words get lost in her frantic speech. I keep trying to reason with her, still keeping her pinned, but it just goes in one ear and out the other. I need to think of a way to get her attention. I know that something has to be able to break through but what? I try to shock her by telling her I'm dating Ned (which is so not true) but that doesn't get her attention, I try various other tricks but none work. I'll have to go to my last resort.

She's still struggling and her speech has gotten faster and more incoherent, she trying to push me back but my arms keep her trapped against the lockers. I kind of like this position, it would be better if she were more compliant…okay don't need those thoughts right now. Back to the last resort. Nothing else had gotten through to her; none of my words had calmed her down or shocked her enough to listen, so it's time to go physical.

I do the only thing I can think of that would shock her enough to freeze and listen. I lick her neck. It was the only part of her I could reach so it was licked. And it worked just as I thought it would. She completely froze, stunned, she looks at me with her eyes round as saucers and her mouth hanging open in shock.

I smile sweetly at her and ask "Are you going to listen to me now?" She nods dumbly still staring at me unblinking with her jaw unhinged. "Jennifer, one F isn't the end of the world okay? It's a fluke. You're normally a perfect student, but something came up that kept you from studying for this one test. It's not the end of the world. You can't just study all the time and stop doing everything else. Your friends need you; you can't give up on all the fun things just because you got one bad grade. Now will you relax and come back to us? We miss the normal Jennifer."

She looks at me dumbly for a moment more before my words actually sink in and comprehension dawns on her. "I've been stupid haven't I?" I just nod with a grin on my face. "Oh man, I totally took this studying thing overboard. I can't believe I went crazy like that." Finally, I think I have the regular Jennifer back.

"So you're back to normal now?" A cautious question, but valid. She nods in the affirmative and I let out a sigh of relief "Thank goodness, you were starting to drive everyone crazy."

"Sorry….so…are you going to let me go now or do you plan on licking my neck some more? Cause, you know, if that's what you're going to do I'd rather it was done in private…fewer prying eyes, you understand." A joke. Great. And at my expense. Just fabulous. I feel myself blush as I realize that I do, in fact, still have her pinned and we're really very tightly pressed together. I still like feeling this, it's nice, and we fit perfectly.

I smile up at her and say "Well then, it looks like we're going to need a room. But you need a shower first." She's flabbergasted. I love it. I can't help but giggle as I release her. Looks like I've won this round, at least it did until she swatted my butt and ran off to the locker room shouting over her shoulder "Pay back!" and the stop watch clatters to the ground.

I chase after her, revenge on my mind. I'm glad to have my Jennifer back. The rest of the day is looking like fun.

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A/N: Yeehaw! I'm in a pretty good mood today. This story isn't how I originally pictured it but it's still happy. I'm freaking out about starting school next week, I don't have any of my books and up until an hour ago I didn't have any of my room numbers either. But things are looking up. A ditty like this one always seems to cheer me up. Hope you liked it. Leave a thought. Thanks for reading.


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Here's a second chapter for the story that was supposed to be a one shot. I decided to extend it because Hannah5292 seemed to like it so much. So this one's for you! I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own them. This is Mozie because I like them.

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I was right. The rest of the day was fun. I caught up with Jennifer in the locker room and we got into a tickle fight. I know, very mature of us. But tickle fights are always so much fun. I liked this one particularly because it gave me the chance to touch her with an innocent excuse. Poking, tickling, pushing, prodding…we probably spent ten minutes acting like dorks shrieking, laughing, dodging, and being generally silly.

It degenerated into a wrestling match fairly quickly though, one I was bound to lose (I didn't have the benefit of brothers to teach me the moves) so I reminded her that she still needed a shower before she had the chance to pummel me into submission. "Jennifer wheeze you still need a shower and this isn't getting you any less smelly" I probably shouldn't have reminded her at that exact moment though as she was straddling me (I was undeniably enjoying the contact) and had a definite advantage which she used mercilessly. She tickled me until I was forced to cry uncle just so I could breathe again, laughing that much hurts sometimes. After I lost she relented and got off. We watched each other until I got my breath back. I broke into a giggle fit and she followed soon after. We were definitely dorks.

The laughs out of the way I said "Well, that was fun. But seriously, shower. Now." She stuck her tongue out at me, I contemplated grabbing it but decided against that move, and instead as she moved to comply I swatted her backside, making her jump and whirl around to face me in surprise. She makes the best faces. Once again I pull out my innocent smile and say "payback" as sweetly as I could. She gives me a look that would make grown men cower, but just makes my heart melt, and I wave her off in the direction of the shower.

"I'll get your clothes from your locker, just go clean up." At her nod we both move to get things done. This gave me a chance to think, a dangerous occupation but necessary if I'm to sort out my feelings.

A few times there I felt like we were flirting. I know I was, but was she? Would she want it that way? She didn't seem to mind when I flirted with her in the hall, she actually flirted back with that finding someplace more private comment. She can't blame me for doing that, I tried to use words but they didn't work so I had to resort to drastic measures! She was being completely ridiculous.

Not that I didn't like it when she was being ridiculous, case in point that tickling match just moments ago, I enjoyed that; but freaking out over one failed test is just plain silly. She's practically perfect in every way, like Mary Poppins, but even she is allowed to mess up every so often. She'd hardly be human if she didn't.

I don't think she knew it was okay for her to make mistakes before, she knows now. She doesn't have to be perfect. Nobody is. Not me, not her, not even Mary Poppins is perfect. Everybody needs the chance to be normal, that's why we had that tickle fight. We needed it; it gave us a bit of normalcy.

At least, that's partly why we had the tickle fight. It gave her the chance to goof off and be a kid, which she hasn't really been able to do since her younger brothers were born three years ago. The twins were the last in a set of five with Jennifer right in the middle of four boys. The older boys are in high school, a senior and a junior respectively. They're the ones who taught Jennifer to wrestle, the oldest was five when she was born, the other four, both loved playing with their baby sister. At least that's how Mrs. Mosley tells it. She's caught Jennifer beating me in tickle fights a few times now, but that doesn't stop us from having them. I can't win if I don't try, and she likes winning (she's not competitive; she just never likes to lose).

But we also had that match so I could get more contact. Selfish of me, I know, but I just felt that I needed to keep her close. Maybe I'm just lonely, or jealous, or something because I'm an only child, all I know is that I needed her and on some level she probably needs me too. I hope she does anyway because she could probably use more girly time, brothers and male best friends aren't good for that sort of thing.

The problem is that I know I need Jennifer, I love her, but not as a sister and not just as a friend. It's gone beyond that for me; I just don't know what to do about it. I can't keep using these lame excuses to stay close to her; she'll catch on sooner or later. Probably sooner; she'll use that superior girl mind she's so proud of to figure me out.

And I'm out of time to think because Jennifer is calling for her clothes and a towel and I need to get those to her before she comes looking for them and I get caught ogling.

I quickly gather her things from her locker and take them to her. "About time slow poke" she smiles as she catches sight of me over the ¾ wall separating the showers from the locker room floor. I almost curse that wall because it's hiding her from my view, but that would only lead to more thoughts I probably shouldn't be having right now as I'm handing her the towel. Alas, the thoughts come anyway making me blush hotly. I can only hope she doesn't notice.

It seems she doesn't as she removes the clothes from my hands and tosses her damp towel onto my head as soon as she's dressed. I squawk out an indignant "Hey!" as she laughs on her way to her locker. I try to snap the towel on her rear but I've never been good at that and she snatches it from my grasp and ruffles my hair. Another squawk of protest "It was bad enough without your help Jennifer!" referring to my hair after the chase, the tickles, the wrestling, and the towel.

She tosses the towel in the laundry bin as she turns to smile at me. "Sorry" she says leaning towards me and combing my hair with her fingers. I pout at her and she pinches my cheeks, earning yet another squawk. I seem to be doing that a lot lately, not a very dignified or lady-like noise, very un-Suzie. I like it.

"So, oh mighty leader, what is next in your plan for me?" she asks with an amused smile and mischief in her eyes. Makes me think she's up to something.

"Well let's see, lowly peon. I've accomplished the first two stages of my plan. Stage one being to slow you down. Stage two being to clean you up. Both completed. My intention now is to drag you to my dwelling for a night of movies, junk food, and gossip pending parental approval. What say you?" I'm pretty sure she's up to something, but I enjoy banter. It's my fatal weakness.

Suddenly she surges up from where she'd been sitting to pin me against the lockers mimicking my own actions in the hall, though admittedly this is a much more private place. I gulped as my heart rate sped up and color rose in my cheeks. I'm pretty sure I liked this position more than before; she's attractive when she's dominant like this…actually she's always attractive. And here are those inappropriate thoughts I'm not supposed to be having. What is she up to anyway? "Jennifer…what?"

"Pay back. I swatted your bum, you swatted mine. You tickled me, I tickled you. You pinned me, I've pinned you. You licked my neck and I didn't hear my revenge in that plan of yours. So I figured I'd take it now." My eyes widened as I realized where this was going. This was definitely flirting. She's flirting with me. Wow. I'm not sure if I should be frightened or elated. I settle on elated as she leans down and I offer no resistance. I want this, I really want this.

Unconsciously I move my head to give her better access to my neck. It's not her tongue that meets my skin but a pair of soft lips. As soon as those lips make contact my eyes flutter closed and I practically melt into her. Jennifer, for her part, has moved her hands from pinning me to the lockers to pulling me to her by the hips. She plants a series of gentle kisses all along my neck, her arms wrapping around me and pulling me into a tighter fit against her body.

I'm positive that this is what heaven must be like. All my senses are sharply focused as I take in her scent, her warmth, and the feeling of her pressed against me. "Jennifer…" I breathe out as her kisses move up my jaw line. They travel from jaw, to lips and we're kissing. Lips meeting tentatively, sometimes so softly that I barely even feel it, other times strongly enough to send heat waves all throughout my body. It's tantalizing and satisfying at the same time and over far too soon for my liking.

Jennifer breaks the kiss, rests her forehead against mine, and lets out a shuddering breath, one that makes me want to hold her forever but my hands remain on her shoulders where they'd gone without my knowledge or permission in the heat of the moments before.

"Oh God…" she intones softly. I open my eyes to see hers still closed and I can only think: she's beautiful. She opens her eyes and they lock onto mine. It's mesmerizing. And as we're getting lost in each other's eyes we both realize that what had just happened went far beyond 'pay back'.

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A/N: Alright, there's the chapter that was never meant to be. I'm sure I'll have another one up sometime later this week. I'm just going to be busy because classes are finally starting. Woot.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Finally another chapter for Stop Watch. I know it's been a little while but school is going to kick my arse. Methinks perhaps that three literature courses was not one of my better plans. Soooooo much reading and almost all of it dull. It leaves no time for pleasure reading or writing. Bummer. I'll try to keep updating when I can. Like holidays and when I decide to ignore my homework, I hope you'll all bear with me.

Disclaimer: They still aren't mine and they never will be. They're too pretty for captivity. Also, they're too pretty for any of the boys on that show.

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I think we were both a little dumbstruck. We hadn't meant for things to happen that way, and yet here we stand staring at each other with swollen lips and holding onto each other in a public locker room. Only we'd forgotten it was public and had done some very private things. We only remembered that it was public when we heard the door slam open and closed in quick succession and Coach Dirga's bark of "Mosley, Crabgrass, you in here!"

Shocked we broke apart and managed to put some distance between us just as Dirga rounded the corner and spotted us. "Here you are! You're both late for practice! Oh, Mosley, I found this in the hall. I think I remember seeing you toying with it earlier. Get changed and get in the gym, we've still got a lot of work to do!" With that she tossed Jennifer the stop watch that had been abandoned in the hall and swept out of the room.

Once again it was the slam of the door closing that jerked us out of our thoughts. Jennifer turned wide eyes on me "Holy crap. Holycrapholycrapholycrap." She's looking at anything but me now as she moves quickly to comply with Dirga's orders.

"Jennifer?" A brief glance is all the response I get before she rushes into a bathroom stall, changes into her practice clothes, and tries to fly out the door. "Jennifer!" I catch her arm before she makes it to the door and spin her to face me "Jennifer, we need to talk about what just happened…"

She jerks her arm from my grasp saying "No, no no no, no we really don't need to talk about it. I'm trying to forget that it even happened so we are not going to talk about it. Talk about it? What were we talking about? Talk about what? There's nothing to talk about. This can't happen, so it didn't, and we're just moving on." Having said that, she sped out of the room to practice, leaving me in the locker room with a breaking heart.

What did she mean she was trying to forget it? Why would she? How could she say that? I know she had to feel something for me; she wouldn't have gotten so carried away if she didn't…but…she's being so strange now. Why can't this happen? She wants it. I know she does. I want it! Why is she trying to pretend that there's nothing to talk about when obviously there is! There's so much I want to say to her! One of my fondest dreams comes true and she suddenly decides that it never happened? Doesn't she know that denying it is breaking my heart? Does she even care?

I can feel tears bead in my eyes, blurring my vision. Sobs start escaping and suddenly I can't breathe for the force of them. I sink to my knees staring at the door she'd fled through. Oh God, what have I done? I've lost her forever. She'll never want to talk to me again, much less be my friend. What have I done? How could this happen? _She _kissed _me,_ and now she doesn't want to think about it? I don't get it. She can't do that! She can't decide something like that didn't happen when it did. She can't make me forget one of the best moments in my life; and I'm certainly not going to let her forget!

Wiping my face I change and rush to practice. I can tell right off that neither of us is going to be of much use tonight, we're both distracted and playing terribly. Dirga is understandably puzzled and releases the whole team from practice. "Mosley, Crabgrass, come to my office, I want to talk to you both." I glace at Jennifer after hearing this, she seems to be ignoring me as she blows right past and heads in the direction of Dirga's office. I follow; I'm not going to let her get away.

Once in the office Dirga looks at us for a few moments "What's wrong with you two today? You were playing terribly out there! Why aren't you talking to each other? If you hope to have a good team you two have to work together, that means you have to communicate. So, tell me what's going on."

Jennifer immediately says "Nothing's wrong. I'm just having an off day. The whole failing thing really threw me off. It's nothing to worry about though." She finishes with a shrug and looks at the floor.

I watched her the whole time. She's still trying to ignore me, but it must be difficult seeing as I'm right next to her. My heart still aches, she really hurt me earlier. Looking at her I can feel tears form in my eyes again but I refuse to let them fall. I take a deep breath intending to tell Dirga what happened just so Jennifer couldn't pretend that it didn't but what comes out is this "I don't know what's wrong with me today. I think I'm just stressed out. There's a lot going on right now and it's messed me up." My voice quavered and I know that Jennifer caught it and glanced at me with a little worry in her eyes but quickly covered it up, but Dirga seems to have not noticed as she nods.

"Well girls, just make sure you're back to normal by Monday. We've a game and we need our captains in top form if we're going to win. Work out whatever issues you two have and get back to normal quick. You're dismissed." Interesting wording, almost like she knew my problem and Jennifer's problem is with each other. Though, I suppose that's pretty obvious with how we're not speaking and all. Jennifer won't even look at me.

We exit the office and Jennifer immediately tries to escape my presence by rushing into the locker room. I follow and once I'm in I notice we're once again alone. "Jennifer? We need to talk. Please?" She's in the bathroom stall, I can see her feet. She responds with "No!"

"Jennifer, you can't ignore me forever. We need to talk about this!" She storms out of the stall and comes within inches of me and fiercely whispers "No, we don't need to talk about anything! That kiss was a mistake. I like boys! It was never supposed to happen and it'll never happen again. So just forget about it!"

I'm stunned. Her words felt like a blow to my heart. I could feel something grip my chest and squeeze painfully. I stand there before her with my mouth dropped slightly open, my brow furrowed, and tears beginning in my eyes. She can see that she's hurt me and I see something like regret wash over her features for a moment before a stone mask settles over her face and she leaves.

Oh God…this can't be happening. What am I supposed to do now? Pretend like nothing ever happened? I can't do that! I've wanted this for long enough to know that I won't ever forget about it. But fine. If she wants to play this 'I like boys' game, then I'll play. We'll see how she _really_ feels about this whole thing. I won't lose her.

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A/N: There it is people. I hope you liked it, well no because it's an angsty chapter where there weren't any tender Mozie moments, but I swear we'll get there eventually. I have plans. Leave your thoughts for me to peruse, reviews make me smile on bad days. Thanks for reading. Look for a new chapter Monday; it is a holiday after all.


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: So it's a lot later than I planned. It's still Monday though and I think I should get points for that. Anyway, here's the next chapter for Stop Watch. I think it turned out pretty well but you be the judge.

Disclaimer: They aren't mine. Thanks for making me remember that. Really…you're a gem.

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I said I'd play her game and I intend to do just that.

She's been pushing Ned to ask me out on a stupid date. I've seen her coaching him, and hell she would know how to get me, she already did. I wonder if she's doing it to make herself feel less guilty about kissing me, it was sort of behind his back. She is his best friend after all. But dammit I'm not his property! I don't even like him that way! I _wanted_ her to kiss me; I _still_ want her to kiss me. This is so messed up.

But if she wants to pretend that it never happened and that she's perfectly straight, well I suppose I'll just have to play along. I see her out of the corner of my eye as Ned approaches me; I assume he's intent on asking me out on that date of hers. "Sure Ned, I'd love to." Lies. All lies.

She looks surprised so I guess it was worth it, just for that look. I don't think she expected me to accept. But what did she expect? That I'd just sit around and wait for her to come to her senses? If she wants to put both of us through this torture then fine. I'm not going to give up. Wait, did he say double date? With Jennifer! Crap.

I wasn't ready for that. Neither was she I see. God, what sort of unusual punishment is this? She kisses me then freaks out, she pretends it never happened and urges her friend to ask me out, he does so and adds her to the date, how am I supposed to handle that? I can't let Ned see any of my surprise at this. He certainly doesn't know that Jennifer and I are sort of involved, or that I wish we were. And I can't back out because I won't let her know how much she's hurt me.

So we're both stuck going on this double date. I couldn't be more horrified. At least I _thought_ I couldn't be until I found out who her date was going to be. That ass Jock is going to be taking _my_ Jennifer out…of course he'll be doing that on my date with Ned so I can make sure he doesn't try any frisky business. He won't be making any moves on my Jennifer. Wow, now I'm thinking about her like she's property. Wasn't I just mad about that?

Dating. Love. I wish I could just be with her and that be that. But no, things have to be difficult. She has to be afraid to love me. I wonder what made her think it wasn't okay for her to be with me. I'm going to have to overcome whatever it was if I want to be with her. And I do. I really do. I only dreamed about it before she kissed me, now knowing what that feels like…I never want to be apart from her. I just wish she would let herself feel the same.

But now we're on this date with the boys, we're in the same dress. How did we end up with the same dress? At least it looks good on both of us. The date isn't all that bad either, it's actually kind of nice, and I tell Jennifer so while the boys are getting food. "This is actually kind of fun." "Yeah, at least until Ned tries to kiss you right?" It sounds almost like she doesn't want that to happen. Dare I hope she cares for me? "Actually, I might let him." The honest truth, why wouldn't I? I won't wait forever. And her tea shoots across the table. Well, have I managed to get the best of her?

It appears so. She's stunned. I'm not sure if that's a good thing or not but any reaction I can get I will take. I wonder if she's as devastated at the prospect of losing me as I was at losing her. Probably not as I watch her rush off to clean up and talk to Ned. She's going to tell him I want him to kiss me. She's got it all wrong. I don't have any feelings for him, I never will. I only want her to notice me…to stop treating me like I'll always be there.

But the night isn't over. I've still got to get through this date with Ned while I watch Jock flirt with Jennifer. It's making me so angry. I know she knows how I feel; I know she feels some of that too; she has to know that seeing her with someone else is driving me crazy! I keep catching glances from her, like she's watching me and my conduct as much as I'm watching her.

I know now that she must want me. She must have been thinking about our kiss this whole time. Our kiss. I like thinking that. Our kiss. An action which showed we want each other. So why did she flip out? I don't get it. But I see her watching me, she looks anxious, I wonder why. I'm distracted when Jock approaches me.

What he tells me takes my breath away and puts a lump in my throat. Ned and Jennifer had kissed. Ned had kissed Jennifer…I don't understand. This is a little egotistical but I know that Ned wanted to kiss me and I'm pretty sure Jennifer wants that too…but I just don't know. I'm so confused. This is just too much to deal with. And to top it off Ned's disappeared on me. That's it; I can't deal with this right now.

I left. I just left. I didn't say goodbye to anyone. In fact I didn't say anything for the rest of the night. Not even to my mom when she picked me up. I just got picked up and when we got home I went straight to my room, got ready for bed, and cried myself to sleep.

Maybe everything will sort itself out in my head and that'll translate to real life. Maybe…but probably not. I can dream though right?

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A/N: Mmmm peaches. In my ice cream. Awesome. That's that chapter. I hope you enjoyed it. I'm sorry it's so late. Leave your thoughts.


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: So here's another chapter for Stop Watch. It may be the last depending on how you all feel at the end of it. I'm thinking up stories for other fandoms too. I wish I'd started writing earlier in the summer that way I'd have more time, instead I'm blatantly ignoring hours of homework to bring you these things. It's all part of being a founding member W.I.H.A.R.I. And this is going up before midnight on Wednesday September 5th. Huzzah!

Disclaimer: I don't own them. But that's okay; I'd probably forget to feed them or something.

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Well, things didn't really sort themselves out in my head. I'm still miserable. I could hardly believe it when Jock told me that Ned had kissed Jennifer, it made me so angry. I'm just glad I didn't see it myself, thinking about it is bad enough, but my reaction to seeing the real thing would have been hard to explain because I wouldn't have been mad at Ned (which would have made sense to everyone else as he was my date) but I would have been upset with Jennifer.

It's just too hard to fix things. I can't get mad at Jennifer in public because that would be too hard to explain and she won't talk to me in private. This is driving me crazy. I don't even want to talk to Ned; he's like a burr, all clingy and annoying. I never wanted to date him; I just didn't want Jennifer to know how badly she's upset me. This whole thing sucks.

And I haven't even gotten to school yet to see what excuses they'll make for themselves. To top it all off it's the last day of school and if Jennifer and I don't make amends now I probably won't see her all summer. Augh! It'll all start soon; the school bus has just pulled onto my street.

Getting on the bus I notice Jennifer sitting in the back, she won't look at me so I don't bother trying to sit with her; I flop into a seat somewhere in the middle of the bus. I zone out for the entire ride and am surprised when we arrive at the school. I don't want to go in there, I don't want to deal with anybody, I want to lie down on the ground and stay there.

But I get off the bus and head into the school hoping to avoid as many people as possible. Alas, I don't get my wish. Apparently everyone is totally psyched that this is the last day, they've broken into song and dance. Even Billy is dancing around looking like a moron with his arms waving in the air and a dopey smile on his face. Seeing that almost makes me giggle, it's so ridiculous, but I only smirk and move on.

To keep up appearances I plaster a fake smile onto my face and pretend to be as happy as they all are when really I feel like I'm rotting inside. Jennifer is slowly killing the best part of me and she doesn't even know it. My hope and joy are now lost, and will be until somehow my life rights itself, I don't expect that to happen anytime soon, but perhaps I'll be wrong. I wouldn't mind being wrong, it would mean things would get back to normal and I could be happy again.

No one looks beyond my fake smile; if they did they'd see the same dull eyes I saw in the mirror this morning. I receive many cheerful hellos and hoorays. I play the part of a pleasant student and happy girl…it's so exhausting.

Even more tiresome is the dance Ned and Jennifer are doing around me, trying to avoid me and panicking at the sight of me. I keep trying though to talk to them. I approach them several times through out the day and they run off screaming. I sat with them at lunch and they flipped out over the chocolate kisses, fighting over them, I know they're really arguing about what happened last night. Ned doesn't even realize how lucky he is, I'd give anything to have and keep Jennifer's kisses. I can't listen to that argument anymore so I come out with "Guys! It's just chocolate…" They try to laugh it off.

I know they don't realize that I know they kissed last night; neither of them has talked to me about it. That's why they keep freaking out every time they see me; they don't know how to handle it.

Towards the end of the day it seems they've each come to a decision as I hear them shout "Suzie!" in the halls behind me. They are both coming towards me and before either can say anything they've covered each other's mouths, I can only roll my eyes at this display. They're being so ridiculous.

I think about telling them so before I tell them I know all about the kiss and who told me about it. I lie and say I was just testing their trustworthiness; really I'm so jealous of Ned I can hardly look at him. I look into Jennifer's eyes and I can see she knows that that's a huge lie told to make Ned feel better. But I continue on "So I'll call you tonight" I say to Ned "and I'll see you tomorrow" I say to Jennifer. Knowing I'll probably do neither. I watch Ned strut happily away and I look back to Jennifer who's looking at me searchingly.

I hear words I didn't expect from her "I need to talk to you Suzie…in private" already she's grabbed my wrist and is pulling me in the direction of an empty classroom. When we get inside she manages to block the door with a desk and giving me a sheepish look she explains "I don't want to be interrupted."

"Jennifer, what do you want?" I say this tiredly. I'm upset with her, she hurt me deeply when she ran away that day in the locker room and further when she refused to speak with me.

"Look, I know you're mad at me, you have every right to be, I was an idiot about the whole thing but I-…I was scared." She looks pleadingly at me, begging me with her eyes to understand.

"Scared of what Jennifer! Of having feelings for me? Of loving me? Of kissing me? Of what? What was there to be scared of?" I'm close to tears and she can hear every time my voice breaks. I'm so frustrated with her. Being scared was no reason to run out on me.

There's a pause where she looks at me with real regret in her eyes "I was scared of what it meant to be with you. I was scared of what people would think. Scared of being gay, of being different. I didn't grow up in a home where it's okay to be gay, I don't understand how my parents could expect anything else from me with four brothers but that's a different topic entirely. My family demands perfection, why do you think I freaked out over that one grade, why I try so hard to be the best at whatever I do? I know it's ridiculous but it's hard to break out of that."

"Jennifer…it doesn't matter what other people might think, it only matters how you feel. Whatever makes you happy isn't anyone else's business. Not even your family's. If they can't accept that they have an exceptional daughter who just happens to have feelings for another girl…well, that's their problem, not yours. I can't believe you would abandon your feelings, your happiness, just to maintain a façade. Jennifer…"

"I know, so don't start. I didn't bring you here to tell you that stuff or make excuses for myself…none of that matters. I brought you here to apologize to you, for hurting you, and for that double date. I didn't mean to do any of that, not really. I just…panicked. When I kissed you, I meant it. It wasn't some accident, or a mistake, I'd wanted to kiss you for a long time. I couldn't listen to Ned pine over you without seeing what he did eventually. I just couldn't deal with it at the time, it wasn't processing. But it has now and it was probably the most wonderful thing that's ever happened in my life." She takes a step closer to me to put her within arms reach.

I'm mesmerized by her eyes. I can see tears standing in them and I feel some well in my own to match. Listening to her I can feel the broken pieces of me start putting themselves back together. I don't know what to think about all of this. I know it makes me happy, but I don't know where it's going to lead. "Jennifer. What are you trying to say?"

"I'm trying to say that…that I want to be with you. That I know I made a huge mistake that almost made me lose you but I'm trying to fix it. I want to be with you Suzie. I won't hurt you again, I know I don't deserve you but I'd still like a chance, just one more, to be with you." Another step closer and I'm forced to look up to keep eye contact.

I stare at her for a long moment before I let a slow smile spread across my lips. I take the final step to her while putting my hands on her shoulders. "You're sure?" I don't want to get hurt again, but this is just too good to pass up. I want to be certain that I won't be abandoned again, that she won't leave me confused in some room while she runs away.

"I'm sure." I see the strength of conviction in her eyes and I believe her. What else can I do? She's here and her arms are locked around my lower back and I want this so much. I think to myself that I hope she's being honest, I hope she won't change her mind. I feel a tear blaze a trail down my cheek as I move my hands to cup her face and bring our lips together.

It was chaste, just a mere brushing of lips, nothing earth shattering, and still it shook me to the core. Pulling away I can't resist saying "You aren't going to run away this time right? Because while I love watching your backside in motion I don't think I could handle being parted from you again."

She laughs and her grip on me loosens. "I won't run, at least not without you."

"Good. Now if I recall correctly, it's the last day of school and you still need to clear out your locker." With that I move to unblock the door and pull her out by the wrist, echoing how she'd pulled me in. "By the way…you're it!" I leaned in quickly and tapped her hip then shot off in the direction of her locker.

"Hey! That's cheating!" She huffs for a moment before chasing after me laughing.

We reach her locker out of breath but smiling anyway. She puts in her combination and pulls the door open and one thing falls out. I bend down to pick it up and examine it in my hand. It's the stop watch and it's still counting. I smile and say "Here" as I hand it to Jennifer.

She looks at it for a moment before hitting the stop button, looking up at me she says "44 hours, 21 minutes, and 16 seconds…that's how long I was being an idiot. I don't think I'll need this anymore." With that she puts it in her now empty locker and closes the door.

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A/N: I'm not sure if I should end the story there or not. Let me know what you think. If you think it should be ended there than I'll set the status to complete and get rid of this last note. I hope you liked this chapter.


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: This one's just for you Hannah5292. Because you wanted me to continue this I have. I still don't know where exactly I'll be going with this but I'm sure it'll be an interesting ride. I hope you enjoy it.

Disclaimer: I keep saying they aren't mine, in my dreams they are.

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That wasn't the end though. No, we still had the bus ride home and the whole summer to ourselves. Well, mostly to ourselves.

We got on the bus and somehow managed to discretely hold hands out of everyone's sight while we made light conversation. I kept looking at her and all I could think is how much I wanted to kiss her, but I couldn't because we were in a public place, a very public place, and her two best friends were right behind us.

I couldn't very well kiss her right in front of them. The relationship was too new, and it would break Ned's heart. Which I don't want to do, he is a sweet guy, but I just don't want him. And knowing Cookie, he'd probably take pictures to perv on later, or worse, he'd put them on the internet.

I wish we didn't have to keep our hands hidden though. It would be nice to show everyone that we were together, but I suppose it's for the best that we keep this under wraps for now. We have all summer to grow into this relationship and I can hardly wait.

Jennifer and Ned kissing is just an uncomfortable and far away memory. I feel Jennifer's fingers intertwined with my own hidden between the two of us on this cramped bus seat, a little piece of paradise and calm in the chaos that is the last day of school bus full of rowdy teens. Her hands are so warm and her grip is so strong. This is…perfect.

At least it was until Ned leaned a little too far over the seat and caught sight of our hands. "What's going on here? What the hell!" Okay, so he's angry. We quickly separate our hands hoping to minimize the damage, but what's done is done.

"Ned relax, stop shouting." Jennifer tries to calm him down but he's not listening and Cookie is so out of the loop. "Stop being stupid Ned. You don't know what's going on." Oh no. Saying things like that make it sound like there's an explanation other than we're together and were holding hands.

"Then why don't you tell me. Because from where I'm sitting it looks like you've betrayed me Moze!" He's speaking in a harsh whisper and I can only think dammit I'm not a piece of meat for him to growl over.

"Betrayed you how Ned? She couldn't betray you, there's nothing to betray." I'm trying to be reasonable. I know he means me when he says that. I've known about his crush forever, but I don't feel the same. He has no right to claim me as his own, there are no dibs. I have feelings for Jennifer, they're real and they're not going away.

"She knew I…" It seems to strike him now that he had no rights to me. That I wasn't something he could claim and she could steal. I'm a person and I have my own mind to make decisions with and I choose to be with her.

"What Ned? That you liked me? So did I and I still choose this. I'm sorry but I don't have any feelings for you, not romantic ones." I'm calm. I'm just sick of having this hanging over my head.

He looks slightly hurt, but he's still mad. "Fine. You want to betray me too? That's just fine. Go, be lesbians. See if I care." Having said his piece he slumps down into his seat.

Cookie just caught on and shook his head. He offered up a weak smile, showing he at least understood and would support us.

Jennifer is looking at me concerned but she does take my hand again and I feel relief flood through me. I didn't even know I was feeling anxious until I felt the relief. I was worried that she wouldn't stay with me; that she'd bolt. That isn't fair of me, she wouldn't just run at the first sign of trouble, at least not usually. This is a whole new thing for the both of us. But she's holding my hand and a small smile is on her lips.

I feel my face form a smile in response as I grip her hand tightly. What feels like only seconds later we're at our stop and are getting off; our hands are still joined. My mind is still on Ned's hostility. I hope he doesn't intend to stay mad at Jennifer forever; she doesn't deserve to lose her best friend, not over me.

I quickly place that out of my immediate thoughts as I realize we're walking down the street together, holding hands, and she doesn't seem to care that there are people around. This is so exciting. It gets even better as she slips her arm around my waist (a surprise to me) and asks "So, who are you planning on telling off later?" She makes a joke of it, I know she's upset about Ned still, but I let it slide because I know she wants me to.

"Well, you're house is on the way to mine. We could always stop in and give your older brothers something to ponder." As I finish saying this I slow to a stop and kiss her cheek, not being able to resist the impulse any longer. The look on her face is a mixture of surprise, horror, and amusement all in one. It sets me laughing and she soon joins in.

"Come on. We've got a summer to plan." With that she pulls me the rest of the way to her house and we make for her room and hopefully more kissing. I like the kissing.

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A/N: Well, there you go. I know it's short (a mere two pages) but at least it's up. If you've any ideas on where I could take this thing I'm willing to listen. Please, leave your thoughts. Reviews make me smile. I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. I'll try to get another one up soon.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry this took me so long to post. I had mid-terms this week and then I got my wisdom teeth pulled so I'm drugged up to high heaven. I barely stayed awake long enough to write this. I was hoping to have more up for you, but you'll all have to settle for this paltry one chapter offering. I hope you aren't too disappointed.

Disclaimer: If I owned it I don't think there'd be any boys in it. So obviously I don't own it because there's no girl/girl love in it. A sad thing indeed.

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We didn't spend much time in her room when we got there.

I had enough time to look around it and see that it was totally Jennifer. There was nothing in it that screamed 'I'm a girl!' There was nothing pink or frilly, like some of the things in my own room. Her only concessions to girlhood were her closet, full of clothes, a few bead strings hung around picture frames on the walls, and the stuffed animal bunny she kept on her bed. The room itself was painted in a soft green color with white curtains and white and green bed linens.

I noticed that almost all the furniture in her room she had made. The shelves on the walls were one of her first projects. The desk in one corner Mr. Chopsaw had wanted to put in a magazine for its excellent craftsmanship. The bed frame had inlaid carving of vines and Jennifer's name in the headboard. The dresser was the only thing in the room that Jennifer hadn't made, but she'd made everything else to match, which is why there were carved vines on all the stuff and the unique clawed feet at the bottom of the desk and bed frame. The color scheme and the wood work was completely Jennifer, earthy and warm and comfortable. I was amazed.

I stood at the door to her room in awe of the work she'd done. She didn't notice that I was stupefied until she turned around from putting her things away. When she did turn she caught sight of the look on my face and laughed a little before making her way to me. I noticed her movement and was captivated by it too. My eyes followed her until she stood before me with a small grin on her face, her features softened for a moment and she leaned forward to kiss my forehead making my eyes close automatically.

She pulled away and I opened my eyes slowly, still feeling the touch of her lips on my skin, then I noticed she had taken both of my hands in hers and was gently drawing me further into the room until we stood at the side of her bed and she bade me to sit. When we were both perched on the edge of her bed she asked "You look completely dumbfounded, why?"

I pulled myself out of the lull I'd fallen into and smiled before responding simply with "I'm just amazed by you. I mean look at this room, your work is everywhere, and it's all just so YOU. It's wonderful."

She leaned forward and planted a soft kiss on my lips with barely enough pressure for me to feel it. Before I had the chance to make the kiss more firm we heard the door slam open and closed and the voice of her mother calling "Jennifer?"

"Yeah Mom?" She'd pulled away to make her reply but she still kept hold of my hands. I felt her thumbs gently rub the backs of my hands and it sent tingles down my spine and warmed my heart. I knew then that she wouldn't ever abandon me like I'd feared she would once people knew about our relationship, she would always be by my side. Thinking this brought a bright smile to my face.

"Can you come help me with the groceries?" I knew her mother wasn't talking very loud, not shouting like my own mother would to get my or my father's attention, but her voice carried well within the walls and shouting wasn't necessary.

"Sure Mom." Jennifer called back before standing and pulling me to my feet. "Come on, let's go help her out." And we left her room.

When Mrs. Mosley caught sight of me coming out of Jennifer's room I think she was surprised. Jennifer must not have people over often, at least not anyone other than Ned and Cookie. She wasn't quite sure what I was doing there but she covered it well "Oh. Hello. I didn't know Jennifer had company. You're…Suzie Crabgrass from the volleyball team right, the other captain?" It had taken her a moment to recognize me but I was pleased that she did.

"Yes ma'am, that'd be me." I nodded as I said this with the same bright smile from before plastered on my lips. I felt Jennifer tug on my sleeve to get me to follow her outside to the car where the groceries were.

We gathered them up and took them into the house, it took three trips. I guess feeding seven people on a daily basis takes a lot of stuff. Thinking about all the people made me think about Jennifer's four brothers and what it would be like to have siblings. I think I'd have liked to have one. It would have been nice to have someone to play with all the time and to grow up with and have insider jokes with.

Caught in my spaced out thoughts I was drawn out by Jennifer talking to her mom while we unloaded the bags "Can Suzie stay for dinner Mom? Her parents won't be home for hours yet and I don't want to send her home to an empty house." I was surprised that Jennifer knew my parents worked so late. They wouldn't be home until eight and it was only three now. I was touched by Jennifer's concern for me, it made me love her all the more (I didn't even know my feelings could get any stronger than they were, but once again I'm left surprised).

"Of course she can stay for dinner, but both of you have to help cook it." A fair demand. We both agree readily even as we continue unpacking the groceries. I look up and see Jennifer smiling at me, I smile in return and she sends me a wink and goes back to putting things away.

Once all the groceries are stored Mrs. Mosley tells us we won't be starting dinner for two hours yet and to go amuse ourselves in the meantime. Jennifer leads me into their living room where I see one of the deepest couches I have ever seen. You could fit three people lying on their sides from the back to front of the monster. Jennifer laughs at the look on my face and drags me onto the beast. There are a love seat and a couple of arm chairs in the room too. All this furniture must be to seat the whole family. I notice the coffee table is another thing Jennifer made, the clawed feet and vine work matched the floral curtains and the feet of the armchairs.

She turns on the television that faces the couch we're sitting on. Cartoons are on and we're both content to watch them. Both of us are kind of tired. It's been a stressful day. What with the confessions of love, the chasing games we'd played, and the near disaster on the bus.

Before we knew it we were asleep on the couch. Jennifer lay behind me, spooning me, with her right arm holding me at the waist close to her. My own right hand lay on top of hers gently lacing our fingers together. Our faces were pillowed on our left arms and the small flat pillows that had been on the couch before. She had her right leg just barely over mine, our feet touching. I don't consciously remember getting into this position, it must have been done in our sleep, but we were in it when Jennifer's mother came into the room to gather us to help with dinner.

She must have been fairly surprised to find us in this position. I mean here her daughter was spooning a female classmate in her sleep, a classmate she had only seen in passing. It must have come as a shock. But she didn't show it as she woke us with gentle hands shaking our shoulders. "Wake up girls; it's time to start dinner."

I wake first and for a moment I'm confused. I feel the arm around my waist and it confuses me further before I see Mrs. Mosley's face and remember where I am. Then it strikes me whose arm I feel around me and my eyes grow wide with fear at the thought of Mrs. Mosley's reaction to us before I look into her face and see a soft smile that reaches her eyes. Then I see that there's a camera on the coffee table that hadn't been there before and I knew that Mrs. Mosley had taken a picture of us before waking us. I wonder if she knows that my relationship with her daughter isn't platonic. Then I figure she must know, our fingers were laced together, Jennifer's face was buried in my hair, she was spooning me. It must have been obvious. And she's okay with it. That nearly brought tears to my eyes.

To hide my potential tears and my definite embarrassment I lift Jennifer's arm from around my waist and sit up, turning myself to wake her. I think she only woke because she noticed I wasn't in her grasp anymore. Her eyes opened and she saw me and smiled, then she saw her mother and I saw a moment of concern pass across her face before she smiled again. I wondered what Mrs. Mosley had done to reassure Jennifer. It must have been something along the lines of that kind smile she gave to me.

We both rose from the couch and followed her mom into the kitchen. She set us to work immediately and before long we had a meal fit for royalty. Well, maybe not royalty but it was certainly good. But it would have to wait until the rest of the family got home.

I felt myself getting nervous at the thought of meeting the rest of Jennifer's family. I knew I had her mother's support, at least I think I do, but she had a father still and four brothers. How would they react? Would Mrs. Mosley make my relationship with Jennifer public to them, or would she wait for us to do it ourselves? I felt a knot in my stomach that just got bigger and bigger and tighter and tighter.

I must have paled noticeably because Jennifer put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a concerned look. I tried to smile at her but it came out looking more like a grimace. Mrs. Mosley noticed also and put a comforting arm around my shoulders "It'll be alright. It may take time for them to understand, but we don't have to tell them anything until you're ready." I looked up at her and saw that same comforting smile that had put me at ease before and found that it was just as effective now.

Letting out a great sigh I smiled gratefully at both of the Mosley women and nodded. Without thinking too hard about it I kissed Jennifer's cheek right there in front of Mrs. Mosley and grabbed a hold of her right hand in both my own. I needed her to be close to me. I was afraid of what people would think. Me. The same girl who'd told Ned off, the same one who'd pressured Jennifer into revealing her feelings. I was afraid to let her family know. What happened to me?

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A/N: I hope you liked this chapter. It was hard to write, but I'm happy with it. Please leave a comment or two; I always enjoy hearing from readers.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Alrighty then! Here's the next installment of Stop Watch. You know, I just realized that stopwatch is actually one word but I've been pretending it's two. I'm too lazy to go back and correct them all right now, but I might later. And I'm keeping the title as is because it won't just pertain to the little object, hehehe, I said that like I actually know where I'm taking this fic. Oh man. Also, I spelled Mosley wrong last time so I'm going to fix that.

Disclaimer: Meh shrugs nobody cares anyway.

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I was scared of losing her. That's what happened to me. I finally had her, she is my girlfriend and I don't want anything to take her away from me. I had been momentarily comforted by Mrs. Mosley's assurance that we didn't have to tell, but if it got out anyway…

If Mr. Mosley or Jennifer's brothers reacted poorly to the news they'd try to keep us apart. I don't want that to happen…but I have to stop thinking about it. If I keep thinking about it the ball of anxiety in the pit of my stomach will just keep growing and then where would I be…but…

"We should tell them…" I hear myself speaking and I can't believe the words. What am I doing? "We should tell them tonight. Better they know now from us than finding out any other way…right? And the sooner we tell them the more chance there is that they'll come to accept it…right?" Well, that makes sense.

I look to Jennifer on my left and see worry covering her features. I look up to Mrs. Mosley over my right shoulder and find the same expression on her face, I guess like mother like daughter is true for these two. Looking back to Jennifer I notice her features have hardened, she's come to a decision.

"Y-You're right. We should tell them tonight…I…I don't want to have to keep you a secret. Not from my family." A soft sad smile pulls her lips up. There's pain in her eyes and I can't figure out what she's imagining. Mrs. Mosley reaches over to lay a hand on her daughter's shoulder.

"If you're sure about this, girls, than I'm behind you. I'll try to keep the boys under control. Wait until after everyone has eaten…there's sure to be lots of _discussion_." Mrs. Mosley put a certain emphasis on 'discussion' that made it sound more like the talk would be more 'fighting' than discussing. I don't know if I should be overly concerned.

I'm already nervous about the whole thing. I've only ever seen Jennifer's father in the bleachers at the volleyball games. He's a large man. Not exactly someone I'd want to get into a fight with…oh God, I hope he takes this well. Please let him take this well!

The ball of anxiety hardens into a cold lump that settles in my stomach. I'm not sure I'll be able to eat anything now…so much for that dinner I was looking forward to. But this has to be done. I'm not going to lie to anyone about this. I'm with Jennifer and I'm going to be with Jennifer openly because I can't hide how I feel. It wouldn't be fair to either of us. I only just won her over…I'm not going to let her slip through my fingers. It was hard enough trying to get her to admit she cares for me. Hiding anything now would only damage our new relationship.

To distract us from our worry Mrs. Mosley puts us to a task: setting the table. It's a good thing they have such a big table. Seating eight people isn't something most families can do. And with twin three-year-olds it's bound to get messy. Booster seats, napkins, and silverware all laid out with the dishes on the large table. Just as we were finishing the set up I hear the door open and several loud male voices drift into the room we're preparing.

"Honey, we're home!" That was Mr. Mosley, obviously. They come waltzing into the room, the two older boys each carrying one of the twins. Aaron and Blake, the two older boys, looked surprised to see us in there. Maybe it was just them not being used to Jennifer having other girls over, I know for a fact she used to have Ned and Cookie over all the time. Michael and Thomas, the twins, just looked happy and dirty. Jennifer talks about her brothers a lot so it wasn't hard to pick up their names.

"Where did you take my babies to get them so filthy?!" Mrs. Mosley is glowering playfully at her husband and children and everyone knows she isn't mad. "Aaron, Blake, go clean up, take the twins too." They move to do her bidding giving me curious glances as they leave the room.

"We took them to the park. The boys didn't have school so I thought we'd all go have some guy-time. It was great." He had the biggest smile I've ever seen plastered across his face as he went to Mrs. Mosley and bent to give her a kiss. Finishing that, he turns around to greet Jennifer with a bear hug that makes her wheeze and demand to be set down. Then he turns in my direction and holds out his hand "Hi. I'm Sam. You're from my little girl's volleyball team right?"

I give him my hand for a shake as I nod in the affirmative. "This is Suzie Crabgrass, the other captain." That was Mrs. Mosley, whose first name I still haven't been told, making the introductions.

"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you little lady!" He's such a jovial man that it's hard to remember I'm about to tell him I'm dating his only daughter and all that laughter in his expression is going to disappear. Pushing down that frightening thought I smile at him and respond in kind. He's still shaking my hand, which makes my whole body move with the force of it, when the boys come back into the room all freshly cleaned and much more pleasant to be around.

Aaron, the oldest, hands Thomas to Jennifer before catching her off-guard in a type of noogie by way of greeting. "So, little Jen's got a friend over. And what's this? It's not Bigby or the cyborg? My heavens! It's a girl! I didn't know she had female friends!" The shock is pretended and he has a friendly smile the whole time he's making a scene. I remember Jennifer saying he was in drama and loved it, seeing him behave I don't find that hard to believe at all.

"Oh very funny Aaron, really I'm laughing on the inside." She rolls her eyes briefly and continues "This is Suzie, from my volleyball team. She's the other co-captain." She sets Thomas in one of the booster seats then punches Aaron's arm lightly.

Blake had taken it upon himself to seat Michael in the other booster before presenting himself to me. "Hi. I'm Blake. You can ignore Aaron. He's a moron but we love him anyway." A brief handshake and a lopsided grin are his offerings before he takes his seat.

"Alright, alright, that's enough. Everyone sit down. It's time for dinner and I, for one, am starving." Mrs. Mosley puts an end to the teasing and has us all seated around the table. Jennifer is to my left; Mrs. Mosley (at one end of the table) is on my right. Thomas is next to Jennifer, then Mr. Mosley, then Blake, then Michael, and last Aaron (who is in front of me). It made sense to have an older kid next to each of the twins, that way they could help the twins eat and keep them relatively clean.

The food goes around and everyone is dished up. The conversation is about everyone's day, it's light and there's a lot of teasing, but I could tell that this is a really close group. They obviously all care very deeply about each other. I guess that's why Jennifer wants to let her family know about us.

Seeing them interact together it strikes me that this is a real family. What one is supposed to look like, how it's supposed to be, everyone together and happy. There's so much love between them all. I want to be a part of this family so badly. Thinking about them, in contrast to my own distant family, makes tears prick in my eyes.

Jennifer would be devastated if her family didn't support her relationship with me. They've supported her in everything else but could they accept that she's gay? That she's a lesbian? That's she's with another girl and that girl is sitting with them all having a meal with them? I hope they do. I hope the men of the Mosley family can understand that you don't choose who you love, it just happens. I hope they'll understand that this doesn't change who Jennifer is, that she's still the same Jennifer they all love…

I can only hope my being with Jennifer doesn't tear them apart. It wouldn't be fair. If I do tear them apart…if I ruin Jennifer's family…how could she be with me knowing I was the cause of her family's ruination? How could she continue to love me if I break them apart? I wouldn't be able to live with myself! How could I expect her to? That would be so selfish of me!

Oh God. I want this all to be perfect. Her family is so wonderful. Please, _please_, whatever deity is watching over us, please don't let this break up the Mosley family. Please, just let us be together. Please…just…please.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Alrighty then. Here's the next installment for you all. Sorry it's coming kind of late. I had hoped to have it up Friday but I got sidetracked by spending the afternoon with a friend I don't get to see often enough instead of writing this. Then I was just lazy this morning…but I finally got it done and it's now here for your perusal!

Disclaimer: Humph.

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"I have something I want to tell you guys…" Those words from Jennifer's lips made me snap out of my thoughts and immediately jump into disguised panic mode.

My heart started beating faster and faster, I can feel myself overheating and I just know my face is going to turn red. I'm trying to stay calm on the outside but I'm not being very successful judging by the concerned look Mrs. Mosley is giving me. Oh god she's going to tell them…she's going to tell them now. I can only pray that things go well…

"Mom already knows about this because she found out about it earlier today. I uhm…well…I'm just going to spit it out…uh…I-I'm gay. Actually, I guess I'm a lesbian and I'm in a relationship…with Suzie actually. And I just thought that I should tell you all because I'm not going to hide something like this or apologize for it and I want to be able to be with her openly so I figured I'd tell you now, so I've told you and that's all I've really got to say."

She said that so fast and in such a babble that most of the words ran together. She's taken hold of my hand under the table, and is gripping it so tightly my fingers are turning purple, waiting for the reaction of her father and her two older brothers. She had spoken looking anywhere but at the people she was speaking to. Her eyes just couldn't rest in one place and when she'd finished she'd caught my eyes and I tried to reassure her with a slight smile and squeeze of her hand. I don't think I was very helpful but she smiled back.

Her younger brothers Michael and Thomas are still playing with the remains of their food, at three years old they don't really care about what the bigger people are saying. I look up at Aaron and see he's absolutely stunned; his eyebrows are arched so high they're practically in his hairline and his jaw is hanging open. I would think it was funny if I wasn't so concerned about what they all had to say. Blake has gone as white as a sheet and is staring almost in horror between Jennifer and me; before I had time to worry about what that look could mean I hear Mr. Mosley speaking.

"Okay." That was it. He looked at Jennifer and said 'okay' with a grin quirking up one side of his face. I can't believe it. That's it? Apparently Jennifer can't believe it either for before two seconds pass she's speaking again.

"Okay? That's it? What is that supposed to mean?" Her voice was just beginning to take on a frantic note and she gripped my hand even tighter; I'm seriously worrying about the bones in it now.

"That's supposed to mean that you're my daughter Jennifer. No matter what. Being gay doesn't change who you are. You'll always be my daughter, my little girl, and nothing can change that. Who you love is something you don't control, it just happens, and as long as the person you love makes you happy…well, who am I to disagree with that?" He said this with such earnestness and honesty that I felt tears prick my eyes. I could see Jennifer had had a similar reaction.

"Oh daddy…" She said it so quietly but I knew everyone had heard it. Before I knew it she'd released my hand and had her father in a hug. I took the opportunity to wipe my eyes knowing that if I didn't I would start crying.

Blake got up and left the table quickly without a word. All we heard was the front door slamming closed. That broke Jennifer from her father as everyone turned to look in the direction of the door. Before we could think much on that Aaron had stood and grabbed Jennifer in a bear hug.

"I'm proud of you little sister. That was really brave. I never thought you'd beat me to the punch though." He was grinning impishly as he released Jennifer and turned to the rest of the table. There was no confusion on anyone's face as Aaron continued. "In light of Jennifer's astounding courage I am shamed into making my own confession. I'm gay too. My boyfriend, Bobby, works at the library and I'd like to bring him to dinner sometime so you all can meet him."

Mrs. Mosley just smiled, as did Mr. Mosley; they nodded almost simultaneously and Mrs. Mosley said "We'd like that. We'll make a night of it."

I was watching Jennifer and I just knew she had something to say but I didn't know what was going to come out "Oh Aaron! Everyone already knows you're gay. Mom has a picture of you making out with Bobby Johnson from last year. And you thought you were being sneaky saying he was here just to work on a science project with you!" That exclamation made everyone laugh happily.

Ever good-natured Aaron just laughed with us and slipped into theatrics "What?! Everyone already knew and they didn't tell me!" His hand is covering his heart and he's fanning his face. "You mean I could have been bringing him here all this time! I've been trying to be all covert about this and you all already knew?! Well, doesn't that just take the wind out of my sails?" His hands have dropped back down to his sides but he's still grinning goofily.

Still chuckling Mrs. Mosley starts clearing the table and telling us all to get cleaned up. I think she'd been surprised by her husband's reaction. I know she was expecting a fight from him, the way she'd been behaving earlier told me that, but I could also tell that she was relieved that there hadn't been a fight. She actually looked quite happy.

So did Mr. Mosley. There was an unmistakable look of pride as he watched two of his children joking with each other. When his gaze fell on me he smiled with approval and nodded his head. I felt joy wash through me. I'm glad I wasn't standing because I'm sure I would have fallen over, my limbs feel like jelly.

Aaron and Mr. Mosley take the little boys to clean them up, they've gotten sauce all over themselves, and Jennifer and I help to clear the table. All of us are wearing huge smiles. I don't think the night could have been much better. But I was still worried about Blake. Why had he run off like that? I know that I don't really know him but I know that something like that isn't normal.

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A/N: Well, that's that chapter down. Let me know what you think. Good? Bad? Ugly? Leave a review. The next one will be up right after this so you can review both chapters at once if you'd like. Thanks!


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Here's the next chapter coming up only an hour after the last. Go me. I guess I was sort of inspired, but maybe having a week and more to think about it helped to…this bears further study…

Disclaimer: I own a small collection of turtle figurines, some DVDs, tons of books, but not the rights to NDSSG or the Addams Family, curse it all.

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Mrs. Mosley, Jennifer, and I were all in the kitchen cleaning up and chatting about the nights events when Blake suddenly appeared in the doorframe. He was sweating a lot and panting. I guess he'd gone for a run. "Sorry I ran out on you guys earlier. I just needed some space to process everything. I mean, I have two gay siblings now." A broken chuckle escaped his lips as he looked from one of us to the other. "I'm glad for you Jen. I'm proud of you too. That took a lot of guts. But hey, I knew you had them in you! You're a Mosley after all." He came forward then and ruffled Jennifer's hair before turning and leaving the room.

Mrs. Mosley looked like she was going to cry and Jennifer just looked happy. I'm happy too, I can feel giddiness swelling in my chest, I want to laugh hysterically in relief but I manage to hold it in.

"What's the matter Mom?" Jennifer noticed the look on her mother's face too and it made her concerned.

"I just have the best kids in the whole world is all. It makes me happy, and proud to know that I raised such open and accepting individuals. How did I get so lucky?" Tears actually did start to fall from her eyes making paths down her cheeks.

Jennifer and I both moved to hug her and she accepted the embrace readily. We held it for a moment before going back to cleaning up after dinner. I'm ecstatic. Really, I don't think things could get any better. Jennifer's whole family is okay with us actually being an 'us'. I knew I'd love this family. How could I not? Jennifer came from this family. I don't know what I was so worried about.

Before long everything and everyone was washed up and watching The Addams Family movie on the television in the living room. Thomas and Michael claimed little bean bag chairs on the floor next to Blake and Aaron who claimed two much larger bean bag chairs in front of the couch. The coffee table had been moved to a wall; obviously this was something this family did a lot, spending quality time together. Mr. and Mrs. Mosley were sitting on the couch which left Jennifer and I in the loveseat.

Jennifer sat with her back against the high arm of the little couch and her left leg propped against the back of the seat. I pulled my legs up underneath me and leaned over to put my head on her shoulder without really thinking about my actions which left me practically lying on top of Jennifer. She didn't seem to mind as she put her arms around me, brought her right leg up to steady us both, and moved to lay us down more comfortably on the cushions.

I saw Mrs. Mosley glance at us with a smile and an indiscernible look in her eyes making them glimmer in the semi-darkness of the room. But my attention was dragged to the movie before I could puzzle out what that look meant. I felt Jennifer's left hand stray from my back and into my hair. She was combing her fingers through it in a very soothing fashion.

It had been a long and stressful day. But I was happy. Jennifer's family knew about, and was okay with us. I could be with Jennifer here and not have to worry about upsetting anyone or getting treated differently. I didn't have to worry about any negativity here; the Mosley family is probably the best in the world. That must be why Jennifer is so wonderful, she has fabulous genes. Before long I had fallen asleep thinking about just how perfect everything was.

All too soon I was being woken up. Jennifer was gently shaking my shoulder and telling me to wake up. It was time for me to go home. I don't want to go home. Everything is so warm and comfortable here. At home I doubt that my parents are even there yet, everything is cold, and there's no one to smile at me like Mrs. Mosley is, and no one to make me laugh like Aaron does, and no one to hold me like Jennifer would. No, I definitely don't want to go home. But I have to.

"Aaron, walk your sister and Suzie there. I don't want them walking by themselves at night." That was Mr. Mosley's command and it brooked no room for argument. Not that Aaron would have argued; he's perpetually happy and agreeable, walking with us there was probably nothing to him.

After saying my goodbyes and goodnights we were out the door and heading towards my house. We talked lightly about silly things; Aaron was cracking jokes that had all three of us laughing to the point of tears. And all too soon we were at my house.

No lights were on and I knew that my parents weren't home. I pulled my keys out of my bag and prepared myself to enter that cold, impersonal place. I turned the key in the lock and opened the door to utter darkness.

"Do you want us to stay until your parents get home?" Aaron was a sweet guy, anyone would be lucky to have him. I assured them that I'd be fine on my own but Aaron still insisted on checking the house before letting me enter it, he said he didn't want any maniac attacking his new little sister because he'd been lax in security.

Hearing him call me his little sister brought tears once again to my eyes and this time I let them fall. Jennifer wrapped me in the circle of her arms while we waited for Aaron to finish. "Yup. You're family. There's no getting rid of us now." With that she kissed my forehead and let me cry softly on her shoulder while rubbing my back.

Aaron came back out after turning on some lights and checking the rooms "Well, it's all safe. Mind you lock the door once you're inside. We'll wait until we hear the bolt hit home. Be careful new little sister." He took me in a hug and released me before I could return it.

"Thank you." That was all I could manage and it sounded pathetic in my ears. I don't have the words to express how truly grateful I feel because of his acceptance and protection. I don't think I ever will have the words to let him know just how much those simple things mean to me.

Once more tears sting my eyes as I turn to Jennifer for a goodbye hug. She surprises me with a soft kiss too and then after saying goodbye I retreat into the house to think about all that's happened tonight. I remember to bolt the lock and I watch them walk for as long as I can before they're lost to a turn in the road.

For the first time in my life I feel like I have people who love me for me. I know that the Mosleys accept me for who I am, and that they care about me even though they just met me (even if it is only because Jennifer cares about me so they do by proxy).

The feelings I'm having right now I can't even describe, it's all just so much…love, warmth, bliss…I don't know. I'm just really, _really_ happy. I've never felt so accepted, like I belonged anywhere…not until tonight. Tonight Jennifer's family became my family. Tonight I realized that a family isn't supposed to be distant and cold, it's supposed to be close and warm.

Family. My parents…god, what am I going to tell them? How am I going to tell them? What will they think? What will they _do_? My mother is going to kill me. All that goodness I'd been lavishing in is gone. The joy is sucked out of me at a single thought of my mother and father…what am I going to do?

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A/N: Sorry people, that's it for this chapter. I hope you liked it. I'll try to have something up for She's Just Full of Surprises later tonight or, if that doesn't happen, tomorrow. Anyway, don't forget to review. I'd like to know what you all are thinking.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Because you all seem to like this story so much and I'm home right now I decided I might as well post another chapter. I hope it meets all your expectations. I just realized I could keep this story going indefinitely if I wanted to…wow.

Disclaimer: Suing me would be useless unless you really wanted a pair of really beat up drum sticks and a broken slinky, otherwise believe me when I say I'm not making any money from this.

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Jennifer is so cute. She called me the moment she got home and asked if my parents were home. When I told her no she offered to stay on the phone until one of them got home. I had to tell her that they often didn't get home until midnight or later. She reluctantly bid me goodbye after I persuaded her it was for the best.

I'm sitting on my bed, in the dark, thinking about what I'm going to say to my parents. I have to tell them that I'm with Jennifer. I have to…it's only fair. Jennifer told her parents because I said it would be best, now I have to tell mine.

But how? When? It has to be as soon as possible I guess. And tomorrow starts the weekend so they don't have to work…maybe I should tell them then. But what am I going to say? 'Mom, Dad, I'm gay and in a relationship with one of the girls from the volleyball team…with the other captain actually. I hope you don't mind.' I'm sure _that_ would go over well. Yeah right.

Mom would flip. I'm supposed to be perfect, her perfect little girl…being gay is definitely _not _in her definition of perfect. I have to get perfect grades, look perfect, be perfect everything I do, meet the perfect boy, and marry the perfect boy. At least that's what Mom wants me to do…but that's not what _I_ want. I want to be with Jennifer. She's perfect to me…perfect _for_ me.

But Mom would never understand that. Neither would Dad. Now is one of those times when I wish my parents weren't so old fashioned. They believe that a woman's place is behind her man, making a home and popping out babies.

And that just sucks eggs because that's not what I want my life to be. I don't want to have to defer to some muscle-headed moron just because that's what my parents expect from me. I'd much rather be with a level-headed beauty like Jennifer.

But that's something my parents would get. I can't think about this anymore right now…it's too hard. I want them to understand and accept me for who I am. I want them to support me and love me no matter what I do…but I don't know if they can do that. I don't know if they could handle their only child being gay…there's just too much I don't know.

Well, no matter how they react or what they do, I have to tell them and I'm going to do it tomorrow. First thing in the morning…it has to be done because I don't think I could take waiting any longer than that. A secret like this would destroy me…so I have to tell them. But I don't have to worry about it right now.

Right now I need sleep. So that's what I do. I get ready for bed, still in the dark of my room. I leave the hall light on so when my parents do get home they don't trip over anything. I'll talk to them in the morning. And so I sleep.

The next morning I'm woken by the phone. When no one else answers it by the third ring I pick up and hear my mother on the other end of the line. "Hi honey, I'm just calling to check in on you. Neither your father nor I were home last night, and we've both got to work this weekend so we won't see you until Sunday night. Your father has been sent to Iowa and I'm stuck at the office until further notice. We've got a big project we're preparing to present to our CEO on Monday. Sorry we won't see you sweetie. There should be food in the cabinets, but maybe you could spend the night at a friend's house or something so you won't be lonely all weekend. Oh! I've got to go sweetheart, see you Sunday, goodbye!" And before I could get a word in edgewise she had hung up.

I guess I won't talk to my parents. I wish I'd known they had to work; then I wouldn't have been all worried about telling them last night. Oh well. I guess it'll have to wait then.

Moving away from the phone I turn off the light I'd left on for them and feel lonelier than ever. The house is empty except for me and I begin to wish I weren't an only child. At least if I'd had a sibling I wouldn't be alone all the time. I hate that they're never here, that I'm always left alone; that I can't depend on them to be here for me…Hot tears slide down my cheeks before I can force them down. Instead of stopping I let myself cry. I've needed to let this out for a long time.

Still crying I move to clean the house, just for something to do, but before I get far the phone rings again and I answer. It's Jennifer. "Are you alright?" She must have heard the quaver in my voice as I answered.

"I'm fine. I promise. What's up?" And really, I am fine. Hearing her voice reminded me that I'm not really alone. I have her. That thought warms me and I begin to smile as I listen to her.

"Well, it's the first day of summer, and it's a weekend so my parents are home. They're going to take the boys and me to the beach and they suggested I invite you along. So, do you want to come with us? It'll be fun. Aaron gets to bring Bobby, and Blake is bringing this week's girlfriend Liz along. And-"

"Sure. That sounds great." I have to laugh, she was about to go into full babble trying to convince me. Doesn't she know by now that she doesn't have to try so hard to convince me? Doesn't she know I'd do just about anything for her? I guess not. I'll have to work to show her that's true.

"Great! Well, we're going to pack all the stuff we'll need; like food and drinks and towels and a volleyball set and things like that so we'll pick you up in an hour or so. You'll be riding with my parents, the little guys, and me. The older boys and their 'dates' are riding in Aaron's car." I could hear the quotes around 'dates' as she spoke. I could also hear that she was starting to get excited about this trip.

"That sounds like a plan to me. I'll be ready."

"You don't have to check with your parents?"

"No, my parents aren't going to be home this weekend. They've both got work so I'm on my own."

"What?! Hang on a second; I'm going to talk to my mom for a minute, stay on the line…" I hear her set the phone down and wait for her to come back with my eyebrow raised. What is she up to? "Okay, pack an overnight bag too Suzie. You're staying with us this weekend. Mom doesn't like the idea of you all by yourself any more than I do. Oh! We're packing a towel for you so you only have to bring your overnight bag and be in your swim gear and have some clothes in case it gets cold." Oh, so that's what she was up to.

I have to smile at how sweet she is. Making sure I'm okay like that and being all worried about me. Her concern is actually making me blush a little. How did I get lucky enough to have her care for me?

"Okay. I'll be ready when you all get here. See you soon Jenny." Unconsciously I'd shortened her name. I don't even know where that came from. I don't usually think of her with a shorter name, she's always been Jennifer or Mosley or Moze, never Jenny…I wonder what she thinks of that.

She didn't seem to notice the slip as she said "Alright. See you in a bit. Bye Suzie."

"Bye."

Well, I won't be by myself this weekend. I get to spend it with the best family in the whole world and my girlfriend. Things are looking pretty good right now. Pretty darn good. I should probably get ready now instead of basking in the warm happy feelings I'm having. With a giddy squeal and a little hop I move myself in the direction of my room so I can get packed.

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A/N: That's it for this chapter. Any thoughts?


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: This is getting up later than I wanted it to but at least it's posted right? Right. Anyway, I hope you like it.

Disclaimer: I don't own NDSSG much as I'd like to. But we all know that Nickelodeon wouldn't air it if I were writing the episodes because they don't air anything with homosexual themes on cable, like Disney, they shy away from something so touchy. It's their loss really.

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A day at the beach; I haven't had one of them in a long time, not since my parents got so busy. We haven't been on any kind of vacation for three or four years…I've missed them. But today I get to go out with the Mosley family.

They picked me up, just like Jennifer said they would, an hour after she called. I had just finished getting ready when I heard a knock on the door and she was on the other side. I looked over her shoulder to the outside and saw her family's van idling in my driveway.

I couldn't help but smile at the sight of that monster in front of my house. It's the largest van I've ever seen, and probably the oldest I'll ever be in. I don't know exactly when it was made but it's orange, brown, and beige (a color scheme most suited to the seventies) and built to hold twelve people. On this occasion it would only be carrying six and all the baggage necessary for a day at the beach; which is actually quite a lot of stuff…but I suppose for ten people it isn't that bad.

"Hi." That was all I said as I turned my smile on her and handed her my overnight bag while pushing her further out of the doorway so I could get out. I locked the house and walked with her to the van.

Looking in I saw there were only two seats left open in the back and I assumed those were the ones Jennifer and I would be occupying. Her parents were in the front, followed by the twins, and then our seats; the rest of the van was filled with gear for the day. I made my greetings as I climbed in and waited for Jennifer to do the same.

As soon as she did we were off. I soon discovered that we couldn't hear a word that was said up front for all the noise the van made on the road but Jennifer and I were still able to talk. We didn't really need to though; we were content to sit in a comfortable silence. At least I thought so until Jennifer turned to me and asked "Are you alright?" She's still worried about my crying over the phone earlier and I can't say I blame her; I must've sounded like a mess.

I looked up into her face and saw all the concern and love there and I gave her a soft smile hoping to erase some of that concern. "Yeah. I'm okay." I lean my head onto her shoulder and take her left hand into my right. "I was just upset this morning because of my parents. I wish they'd let me know they would be gone this weekend. I was kind of hoping to see them…so I could tell them about us."

"Really? You would have told them so soon?" I'm surprised that she asked this question, why wouldn't I tell them?

"Well, yeah. We told your parents already, why wouldn't we tell mine?" I'm honestly confused. I mean, I know that my parents won't win any prizes for fabulous parenting but they still deserve to know right?

"No reason. I just thought maybe you'd want to wait a while. Let us settle into the relationship and all." That would make sense I guess, but I'd rather get it over with. I don't know how they'd react to the news but I don't want to lie to them about anything. Hiding my relationship with Jennifer would be like lying to them.

"No. I think it would be better to just tell them and get it over with. I don't know exactly how they'd take the news but sooner I tell them the sooner I'll know. Telling them now would give them the whole summer to adjust. And they'd see it as a pretty big adjustment. I know my mom has always had this dream of me getting married to some wealthy man and having dozens of little grandchildren for her. I'm not sure but I think she'd take this the worst. My father…well, I don't really know him well enough to even guess how he might react. I just don't want to be stuck waiting to tell them and worrying about what they'll do. Does that make any sense at all?"

"It does. It's sort of the reasoning we used to tell my family isn't it? Better now than later. But I want to be there with you when you tell them. You don't have to do it alone, and I'd much rather I was there to support you." She squeezes my hand a little to emphasize her point and I realize that I really want her to be with me when it does happen. She's right that it would be good to have support, but I guess she knows all about that, she had me and her mother on her side when she told the guys.

I only nod as I wrap her left arm up in the both of mine, forgoing the hand holding for a more solid connection. We stopped talking after coming to that agreement and I soon fell asleep. I seem to do that a lot when she's available for a pillow.

I wake hearing her coaxing me to open my eyes "Come on Suzie. We're almost there and my arm is asleep. I'm going to have those needle-y feelings in it if you don't get off soon."

"Sure make jokes. Your tired girlfriend was taking comfort in your presence and fell asleep and you wake her with jokes. That's just great." I'm teasing her and we both know it so she takes no offence.

"Ha! Who's joking? I can't feel my arm right now. I can't figure out how you put it to sleep, your head can't be _that _heavy." I remove my arms from around hers and she starts rubbing it in an attempt to wake it. Before long I take up the task and try to massage feeling back into the limb without responding.

She continues as we both work on her arm, "Oh, that's so much better. I guess your head _is_ that heavy. How'd you get such a heavy head do you think? Is it the brain or the hair? I don't know which would make it heavier."

That drew a laugh from me "Definitely the brain. My hair may have a lot of body but I don't think it would be enough to put your arm to sleep." We're both enjoying the playful banter but all too soon we've arrived at the beach and I realize just how stiff sitting in the same position for all this time has made me.

Apparently Jennifer was having the same thoughts as she climbed out and stretched before helping me out. I stretched too and then we both turned to the task of unloading the van.

We were there early enough that there weren't too many people there and we'd have our pick of the best places to situate ourselves. I felt kind of like we were setting up camp and we pulled out blankets and towels and food. When the older boys and their partners got there they helped unload the rest and set up the volleyball net.

Thomas and Michael were already at work on a sand castle with Mrs. Mosley supervising. Mr. Mosley was setting up a barbeque nearby and I wondered how I'd missed seeing that in the van.

Before I could ponder that much longer I was drawn into a volleyball game of girls vs. boys. Liz, Jennifer, and I were on one team. Blake, Aaron, and Bobby made the other team. I could tell we were going to kick their butts after the first serve. The guys had no idea how the game was played, well, Bobby was actually pretty good but the other two were hopeless.

And so began our day at the beach. I could tell that it was going to be great. Barely forty minutes there and I was already having a blast, and so was everybody else. Yes, it was going to be a wonderful day.

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A/N: That's it for now. Let me know what you think.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Finally, another chapter for Stop Watch. It's taken me long enough hasn't it? It's not the best but it's here.

Disclaimer: Do I really need to keep saying it? It bothers me so.

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I was right about the volleyball thing. We did totally kick their butts. At least until Aaron decided to trade Jennifer for Bobby and made the game Mosleys versus Guests. When he did that it pretty much became a contest between Jennifer and me; we being the only two who actually played the game.

That's not to say that the others didn't try to play too but she and I dominated the little court in the sand. We landed as many spikes on each other's bodies as we did in the sand. After a short while of spiking each other the others got bored. Aaron and Blake scooped Jennifer up between them and dumped her into the ocean despite her protests. Everyone had a good laugh at that.

The water wasn't cold, but it was enough to shock Jennifer into an awareness of everyone laughing. As soon as she set eyes on me I could see playfulness infuse her being and she came out chasing me. Laughing as I tried to get away seriously hindered my escape. Soon she had me by the waist and was dragging me into the water with her.

In my defense I started a splash fight with her and the others joined in, most particularly Aaron and Blake. They were always eager for an opportunity to tease Jennifer. I was surprised at how well Liz handled herself; she seemed really ditzy upon first sight. Now she had Blake in a headlock while Aaron and Bobby splashed them both.

Jennifer had tried to sneak away while I was observing everyone. I wouldn't have that, she'd pulled me into the water and I'd be darned if I was going to let her escape so easily. I followed her in hot pursuit and as soon as she noticed me she moved faster. She had an advantage of a head start so she got out of the water sooner but I was close behind and I ran just as fast as she did.

Chasing her across the sand a plan formed in my head. As soon as I catch her, we're having a tickle fight. I still need revenge for her winning in the locker room. I get nearer and nearer to her and I hear her laughter. I feel my voice rise in laughter to match hers.

I'm so close to her that she's just barely out of my reach. She's making attempts to dance out of my grasp that are successful until she nearly trips. Before she can recover I catch her, knock her off balance, and take her to the ground. And there the match begins.

The two of us roll around trying to get the upper hand. It is safe to say that neither of us was doing very well. We were to busy laughing and trying to find ticklish spots to focus seriously on winning the bout. Somehow I ended up straddling her waist and pinning her to the ground.

"I have you now! Admit defeat or suffer the consequences." I raise one of my hands and wiggle the fingers to make sure she knows exactly what the consequences are: more tickling.

"Never! I will never accept defeat!" She struggles under me and manages to throw me off before reversing our positions. Now she has me pinned to the ground and she's not wasting time talking. You don't have to accept defeat when you can wrestle, unfortunately I can't wrestle and so I must concede once more.

"Stop! Hahahaha! Oh s-stop! Heeheehee!" I'm wheezing with the effort of speech and laughing so hard it hurts. "Uncle! That's enough…hoo! I can't take anymore!" She tickles me for a bit longer and makes me squeal. When she stops she looks down at me.

"Never challenge a master unless you are prepared to be soundly beaten." Spoken with a smile that made the words a joke. She planted her hands on her hips and settled back while straddling me so all her weight rested on my thighs, meaning I couldn't get up.

Putting my hands behind my head I lay back and watched her for a moment before responding. "Fine. Point taken. But that doesn't mean I'm giving up. I will beat you in a tickle fight one of these days. That's a promise." I mock glare up at her and she laughs before getting off and offering me a hand up, which I accept.

"You know, that's the kind of confidence I admire in a person." She loops her arm in mine and kisses my cheek. I can't believe I lost. I had the upper hand for a minute there.

She drags me off in the direction of her family keeping our arms locked together. I find that it's very comforting having her beside me. And walking along this beach, with all these people, and being together…it's so wonderful. Being open like this, out in public with people knowing we're together…there's nothing like it in the world. Wet and covered with sand, I couldn't be happier.

In my bliss I wasn't paying much attention to anything but the feeling of her hand in mine and her arm pressed against my side. At least until someone stepped into our path and wouldn't get out of it.

Ned. I should have figured he'd be here. After all, it's the first day of summer vacation and it's a weekend. Anybody who could come is at the beach. And why shouldn't they be? It's a public beach and it's a lot of fun. But somehow I don't think Ned is in front of us to join in our fun.

"It's not enough for both of you to betray me? Now you have to make a spectacle of yourselves in public? You're disgusting." The scorn in his voice stopped me from forming words. It hurt more than I thought it could. I shouldn't care about what he thinks…but it still hurts.

"Nobody betrayed anybody Ned. You're being stupid and childish. You're my best friend; you're supposed to be happy for me when_ I'm_ happy for me. But you aren't. You're being petty. Whatever issues you have with Suzie and I being together, you need to get over them…unless you want to lose us both."

Jennifer didn't say anymore, Ned was stunned. Jennifer just tugged on my hand and pulled me to her family. Her mother had seen the confrontation and put a supportive hand on each of our shoulders when we reached her. She knew that Jennifer had handled herself well and her pride shone through her eyes.

I wondered at my inability to speak back there. There's a lump still in my throat and a pain in my chest. I can feel tears burning in my eyes and I know I dare not let them fall. Jennifer still holds fast to my hand and I squeeze it for reassurance. Taking one look at me she wraps her arms around me and whispers in my ear "It'll be okay. He'll get over it. No one else here has any problems with us. Ned's just being dumb. We've still got the whole day, let's just have some fun."

I let her comfort me and allowed myself to enjoy the rest of the day. There's no point in letting him win even a small victory over me. He's wrong. I deserve to be happy.

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A/N: There we have it. Thoughts, anyone?


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: I know it's been a long time, and for that I'm sorry. Nothing is wrong with me except that I am chronically lazy. I just went into hibernation I guess. Sorry guys. With that in mind, I would like to dedicate this little chapter to Jeck the Band Geek for caring enough to check up on me. I don't deserve the concern.

Disclaimer: So not mine. I do own this awesome rock I made in pottery though.

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After deciding that I wasn't going to let Ned get me down we had all that barbeque food Mr. Mosley had been working so hard on all morning. He had a touch of everyone's favorites; burgers, hot dogs, ribs, vegetables, and even some fish for Liz. Of course, he had to have that much food to make sure everyone got fed; it isn't easy feeding ten people _and_ remembering their favorites. Mr. Mosley certainly is an amazing man.

No one had quite put out of their minds the confrontation between Ned, Jennifer and me. Mrs. Mosley kept glancing in my direction as though assessing my mental state from how I was eating my food. Liz, bless her for trying, was making some of the most inane small talk I'd ever heard and pointedly ignoring what had happened. Aaron and Bobby were sad and sent comforting looks in my direction. Blake looked like he wanted to beat someone up…wouldn't take me three guesses to figure out who. Mr. Mosley was trying to lighten the mood by telling stories and laughing too loudly at his own jokes. Jennifer hovered protectively in my vicinity, laying a hand on my shoulder every once in a while to assure herself of my presence. Thomas and Michael were happily digging into their food completely oblivious to the tension between us all.

I didn't want to talk about what a jerk Ned had been or about how I was feeling about it all. Really, I just wanted to enjoy my day out with people who are so supportive and caring that one day with them is almost suffocating. My parents should take lessons from them, and then maybe I'd be able to talk to them about my life…about this wonderful relationship I'm in. But they aren't the kind of people I want them to be and I'm not the kind of person they want me to be, so I guess it all evens out.

It took the whole meal to get us all comfortable again (lucky little Thomas and Michael hadn't been out of sorts to begin with) and enjoying the beach. There was more volleyball played (with various beachgoers joining and leaving the game as they chose), more swimming done, and an impromptu sand castle competition (which Billy won by somehow managing to sculpt a balcony complete with prince and princess). I don't think I've ever had that much fun before.

My earlier troubles were quickly fading from my memory, why dwell on things I cannot change? Ned is going to feel however he feels; maybe he'll come around and maybe he won't. He isn't my problem. The only thing I've really got to worry about is telling my parents.

I want to be as honest with them as I can; I know that lying to them, even by omission, is something I can't do. They wouldn't understand why I'd need to lie and be hurt that I couldn't be open with them. On the flip side, if I'm honest but tell them something they don't want to hear (like, I'm gay, for example) they'll be so miserable and disappointed that they'd wish I'd lied instead. It's such a sucky situation. I almost wish I weren't in it, but then I wouldn't have Jennifer, and that would be an even greater tragedy than losing my parents' love.

I feel almost as if I can't breathe without her; like the world would stop existing for me if she weren't in my life. I can't imagine my life without her in it. She has me so wrapped up that I'm even _thinking_ in clichéd sappy romantic lines.

She shouldn't be able to make me feel this way, no person should. It gives them too much control over me. But she makes me feel like I'm the greatest person ever, and to always feel that wonderful…I'd do anything. Anything she'd ask of me, anything at all. She'd only have to say the words and I'd be off trying to achieve whatever she wanted me to, just so I could have a fraction of her love. I know I'm pathetic. I just can't help myself.

I guess it's lucky for me that the only thing she wants me to do is love her back. I'm already overjoyed to do that.

But I've got to stop thinking so hard, I'll miss out on all of the fun or turn to stone. Right now Blake is telling some story about the ridiculous antics of the football team and everyone is laughing because Billy and Aaron took it upon themselves to act the story out; seeing them sashaying about is enough to have all of us in hysterics.

Mr. Mosley's guffaw thunders across the beach and reverberates in my ribcage. Mrs. Mosley's chuckling is much softer on the ears. All of the Mosley children have crosses between these two laughs. Thomas and Michael are still in the high-pitched giggling stage but I've got a feeling they'll sound exactly like their father. Aaron sounds like his mother, only faster and deeper. Blake wavers between the guffaw and the chuckle which sends him into snorting and tears, which only makes him and everyone else laugh harder. Jennifer bellows almost exactly like her father when she's in full laugh mode, just in a higher octave. She's got stages to her laughter beginning with her mother's chuckle and leading to her father's guffaw.

It's fascinating to see how alike all of the Mosley's are, it must be a genetic thing. I've never seen a family that shares identical laughs; I certainly sound nothing like my parents when I laugh (I'm not sure if that's because I've never heard a real laugh from my parents or because I just don't sound like them). Liz seems to be thinking along the same lines as I am because she's looking between Blake and his parents and flying into giggle fits. Billy is just enjoying all the happiness, basking in it like a cat does in the sun.

When darkness falls the guys light a bonfire and we take turns telling stories; real and fictional. Each story is punctuated with laughter and exaggerated acting (performed mostly by Aaron and Billy). I think this is the kind of sharing people should do all the time, it's fantastic.

We stay around the fire until the little boys are falling asleep in our laps. I notice that as soon as we make signs to leave another group takes charge of the bonfire and are telling stories by the time we'd gathered all our things. I hope they enjoy it as much as we did. It's done a lot to help settle me, center me.

As we drive away I resolve to not worry about how people may or may not react to my relationship with Jennifer, not even my parents. As long as I'm happy, I don't care about what they might think.

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A/N: I will have more, and better, chapters put up later this week. Hopefully I can finish this story and the others before I have to return to school. I still owe Kris Chambers a rejection story through the eyes of Moze that I'm eager to get to, but I don't want to be working on four stories at once. Please, be patient with me. Oh, and as always, leave your thoughts.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry this took me so long. I'm such a spaz. Anyway, I just realized that I called Bobby 'Billy' in the last chapter. Whoopsie doodle. That's what I get for not proofreading. I'll try to be better. This is dedicated to all those readers out there still interested in this story. I know it's taken me forever to get this up, but I promise I will finish it someday. I was inspired by the sudden influx of reviews you people gave me, they made me giddy.

Disclaimer: If I owned it do you think there would even _be_ boys in the show? Actually, there would be, but they wouldn't be in relationships with the girls…alright then, moving on!

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The trip back to the Mosley's seemed much shorter than the ride to the beach had been. I wonder if it's because the van was filled with bright chatter this time around, or if traffic was better, or maybe it's because all the food was gone so the van was lighter making it faster. I guess it doesn't really matter; I fell asleep against Jennifer again anyway. Pillowed on her shoulder is fast becoming my favorite place to be. She's so warm and she makes me feel secure. I don't know how she does it, but I'm thankful that she does.

I drift in and out of consciousness throughout the ride. I guess the day really took a toll on me. It doesn't seem to have had the same effect on anyone else though. Mr. and Mrs. Mosley are talking and laughing in the front seats. I can't hear what they're saying but it's clear from their expressions that they're happy and alert. Thomas and Michael are out cold, but they're only little kids and they can't yet stay up past their bedtime. Jennifer is humming to herself and looking out the window, occasionally she looks at me and strokes my knuckles with her thumb when she sees me looking at her.

When I drift off to sleep, I dream. Unfortunately this dream was not a pleasant one. It started with Ned being generally nasty about my relationship with Jennifer. Somehow he morphed into my parents, who were furious with me. They didn't say anything, but they didn't need to. Their bodies had gone all black, with red eyes. They'd grown claws and sharp teeth. They started stalking me, coming at me faster than I could run. I tried to escape, but though I was running I wasn't going anywhere, it was like I was stuck in molasses. My feet wouldn't move. They loomed larger and larger over me, the sight of them filling me with terror. I filled my lungs to scream in a futile attempt to stop them.

Just as they lunged at me in unison I was shaken awake. Jennifer had a hand on my shoulder and was calling my name. "Suzie! Suzie, wake up! It's only a nightmare, come on, wake up." Her shaking of me stops as I open my eyes a focus on her. I noticed then that I had a tight grip on her left hand, my knuckles were white and her fingers were purple. That had to hurt so I released her hand quickly.

"Are you alright?" The concern in her voice echoes the worry in her eyes. "You were trembling pretty badly, mumbling too."

"I'm okay. It was just a bad dream." I try to make my voice sound lighter than I feel. The weight of that dream was still pressing on me, making my chest grow tight and my throat close.

She must have noticed the strain beneath my words because she took hold of my hand again and stroked it reassuringly. "Will you tell me about it? Maybe it'll make you feel better."

I don't tell her about the dream, I can't. I can't form the words to express how terrible it was for me. Instead I ask her the questions that must have caused the dream, the things I had been trying so hard not to think about. "Jennifer…what if my parents react the way Ned did? What if they end up hating me? What would happen to me then? What would I do?" I heard my voice take on a pleading note that brought unbidden tears into my eyes.

Seeing my distress she immediately wrapped her left arm around my shoulders and pulled me closer. Before answering she kissed my temple and rubbed my back a little. These things, while appreciated, did nothing to ease the ache in my heart. "I don't think they could ever hate you, Suzie. But if that happens, you'll always have me and my family. I know we can't replace yours but…we'll always be here for you. I'll always be here. I told you, you're stuck with us."

After that I let myself be held. I hoped she was right. I wasn't so sure that my parents couldn't hate me. I knew they'd always love me, but they could hate me at the same time. One thing I was sure of was that Jennifer and her family _would_ be there for me, even if my own family wasn't. "I'm glad to be stuck with you. I can't think of a better fate than to be stuck with the Mosleys."

She squeezed me a little tighter and I wrapped my arms around her waist with a sigh. I felt her lips on my temple again, laying a soft kiss there to ease my mind. I still worried, tears still stood in my eyes but I refused to let them fall. I refuse to cry over what might be. Yes, if I lose my parents it will hurt but I haven't lost them yet. They might just understand how I feel.

I bury my head against Jennifer and she holds me. Eventually I fall asleep again, mercifully dreamless. She must have fallen asleep too because the next thing I know is that Mrs. Mosley is shaking Jennifer's knee and calling both our names to wake us. I look at Mrs. Mosley and see a flicker of concern in her eyes so I smile to let her know everything is okay for now. Then I help her rouse Jennifer so we can all unload the van and get into the house.

It didn't take long for us to put everything away; with two adults and six teens the going was pretty easy. In a matter of minutes all of the beach gear was back inside the house and we were all ready for bed.

I hadn't know this before but apparently Bobby and Liz would be staying the night as well. All of the teens were going to be camped in the living room, the furniture pushed aside or claimed as bedding. Jennifer and I managed to snag the couch before Liz, Blake, Aaron or Bobby could get there so those four had to use the bean bags, armchairs, and loveseat as their bed places. I'm sure the reason we were all placed in the living room was to prevent any hanky panky from happening. It would be kind of hard to do anything untoward in such a public setting. For some reason, this thought amused me and I shared it with Jennifer who chuckled with me for a moment.

The six of us stayed up late, talking about various things. Blake brought up Ned in the course of conversation. We had to explain to Bobby and Liz that Ned is one of Jennifer's best friends and that he had romantic intentions towards me. Thus enlightened they finally understood why our encounter with Ned at the beach had shaken me so badly.

I didn't know what to think about anything anymore. Ned had been one of the nicest guys I'd ever known but now he's turned into some kind of close minded monster. It didn't make any sense to me. Not really. How could someone's personality pull a complete 180? His feelings for me couldn't have been that strong, they were only based on his imagining of what I would be like. He never bothered to get to know me. He must have thought that glimpses of me in the hall were enough for him to decide he was in love. It's ridiculous. He doesn't get it.

I hear my thoughts echoed by Jennifer's words. Understandably she's the most shaken by Ned's attitude. He's supposed to be her best friend; they've been nearly inseparable since elementary school. Everyone thought that they'd get married when they got older, even me until a few days ago. "Ned just doesn't get it. He doesn't understand the whole gay thing; I don't think he ever will. He thinks that I betrayed him, that I stole Suzie from him. He doesn't understand yet that love just happens, that you can't plan it, or coerce it into being…it just is. He has a few things to learn still. I know that Cookie is trying to get him to see reason, but I don't think it'll happen anytime soon."

The sadness in her voice strikes a chord in me and I reach out to hold her hand. The others seem sobered by her words, by the sorrow so clearly shading her speech. It makes me wish I could just smack Ned for hurting her, and to knock some sense into him. But I know I can't, and neither can any of the others. We all know it, but it doesn't do anything to ease our minds.

Eventually we find happier things to discuss, like plans for this summer filled with trips to the beach, camping, and maybe an amusement park or two. Somehow we solidified into a unit, the six of us. I think it was the Mosley charm working its magic. It was impossible to resist. Once you've loved a Mosley there was no turning back, I was sure of it.

This family was willing to accept its members no matter their oddities. That's probably what made it such a strong unit; they all love each other no matter what. What's more is that they all _like _each other, which isn't something all families can say for themselves. The Mosley family is willing to bring in new members, like myself, and treat them with all the love and affection given to those of the blood. It's amazing.

I'm beginning to believe what Jennifer told me earlier. That I'm stuck with them. Only I don't feel stuck, I feel like I belong. And that's something I haven't ever felt. Not in school, not in sports, or cheerleading, or even in my own family have I ever felt like I belonged. But here with the Mosleys, with Jennifer, her brothers, and their partners, I feel like I belong. Like I'm in the right place. Like this is where I was always meant to be, I just had to find it.

This feeling of belonging raised such joy in me that I couldn't help but smile, and I saw that my smile was catching. Soon all six of us were smiling and laughing. All pain was banished from us for the night. We were able to enjoy each other and to enjoy life again.

I fell asleep with the echoes of laughter in my ears and Jennifer's arm around my waist. Before I fell asleep I felt her kiss right below my ear and tug me closer to her, sending me to sleep with a smile on my face, dreaming of happy things.

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A/N: Woo, that took way longer than I thought it would. I hope you liked it. I know you're all saying it's about freaking time I posted something, and I couldn't agree more. As always, leave a review if you're so inclined. Let me know what you're thinking, or what you'd like to see happen. I'll try to be more frequent with updates.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Guess what I have for all of you…TWO NEW CHAPTERS! Boo ya! I finally got a computer set up at my mom's house so I can work during the weekends too. Wee! So these two chapters are the product of a very long Saturday night after an entire week of moving three houses worth of stuff into one tiny little house. It was six a.m. before I went to sleep. Sorry if they don't make a lot of sense, I think they work though.

Disclaimer: I'm too tired to own anything that requires regular maintenance.

When I woke the next morning I discovered that I had rolled over in my sleep. My head was on Jennifer's shoulder, one arm slung across her belly, and our legs intertwined. The sun was peaking through the gap in the curtains and directly into my eyes, forcing me to squint. When I could see again I surveyed the room from my position. Jennifer's brothers and their partners were still unconscious on the floor using the bean bags as pillows and sleeping bags as giant blankets. The rest of the furniture was still pushed against the walls of the room, out of the way.

I tried to move without waking Jennifer to get a better look at everything, and to make my way to the bathroom. She woke as soon as I shifted my leg to get it on the floor. Her arms, which were wrapped around my back, reflexively tightened for a moment before she released me with a sheepish smile and a soft "good morning." I sat up watching her. She's too cute sometimes. Her hair is all messed up from sleeping and shifting on it, her clothes are rumpled (her shirt had ridden up to bare a small portion of her stomach, which I couldn't resist touching), and she's rubbing sleep out of one eye while keeping the other on me. I feel my head tilt to the side as I contemplate whether or not I should kiss her. Before I come to a decision she'd sat up and kissed my cheek. "We should get to the bathroom before everyone else wakes up, otherwise it'll be a long wait."

I nod and we both leave the warmth of the couch and make our way down the hall to take care of necessities. After taking turns in the shower and brushing our teeth we move into the kitchen to find Mrs. Mosley bustling about. When she notices us she immediately commandeers our services to help her make a huge breakfast. Pancakes, waffles, sausage, bacon, toast, oatmeal, fruit salad, eggs of all making, various juices, and milk. Pretty much everything and anything a person could want for breakfast was laid out on the table. By the time we finished cooking everything the whole household was up, dressed, and ravenous.

Breakfast was an interesting affair. Fitting everyone at the table was a task that only the Mosley's could have been prepared for. Jennifer, unbeknownst to me, had made this particular table with several extra insertable leaves for it, so in moments it was long enough for everyone. Then chairs were fetched from various parts of the house and everyone settled in to the huge meal. Everything was delicious and conversation flowed easily. We were all at ease and comfortable. Mrs. Mosley kept telling Liz, Bobby, and I to eat more, we were so thin, and that she'd soon put some meat on our bones. Watching the rate at which food disappeared into the Mosley children I didn't doubt her a bit. She was an excellent cook and never took 'no' for an answer when it came to refusing food. She just kept piling our plates up until we absolutely couldn't eat another bite.

Mr. Mosley, 'Sam', was just as bad. He would also put food on our plates. Though he remembered to never put meat in front of Liz, he had no such restriction for Bobby and I. He took his cue from his wife and told us that it took meat to build meat and we should eat up. Apparently the Mosley parents believed in hearty eating and encouraged it in everyone that passed through their doors.

The Mosley children watched this stuffing with smiles on their faces. Thomas and Michael were peacefully oblivious playing with their oatmeal, occasionally flinging it into the air and shrieking with laughter. Their antics made the rest of us laugh too, though it was quickly explained to them that they couldn't throw food around like that; they settled to eat without any more projectile foodstuffs.

Once everyone was full of food Mrs. Mosley decreed that everyone would help clear the table and wash the dishes. Jennifer and I were exempted because we had helped to cook it and set the table, and the twins were also exempted by the virtue of being too small and young. So the four of us retired to the living room to watch morning cartoons. She and I put the boys into the beanbag chairs and set to moving the furniture back into their rightful positions. Apparently Blake and Aaron hadn't thought to do so while we were cooking. Still, it gave Jennifer and I something to do while everyone else cleaned up. When we finished we dropped onto the couch and watched cartoons with the boys.

When everyone else finished cleaning we made plans for the day. It was decided that we would part ways. Aaron and Bobby were going to the movies, Blake and Liz to the mall, and I was going home. I still had to clean the house before my parents got home. Jennifer decided she'd go with me to help. Not that I'd actually let her do anything, it's not her job to clean my house after all. I tried to explain that to her but she said that was nonsense and she would help me whether I wanted her to or not. I realized arguing the point with her would be useless and just gave in.

Soon we were off to my house. My overnight bag was slung over my shoulder, full of clothes I had thought would be dirty but were clean because Mrs. Mosley had washed them while we were cooking and eating. It was very thoughtful of her. Jennifer was walking next to me, she'd tried to carry my bag but I wouldn't let her. So instead she filled the walk with pleasant conversation and amusing stories about her brothers and herself. Apparently they'd been quite the little terrors as small children, much more rambunctious than I ever dreamed of being as a little girl. The walk went by quickly and we were at my house faster than I'd expected to be.

I let us both in and took my bag to my room. We set about straightening everything there and spread to the rest of the house. She dusted while I swept (she could reach the higher shelves more easily than I could), moved furniture while I vacuumed to help me get under everything, dried dishes when I finished washing them, cleaned the bathroom while I mopped the floors, and helped me put everything away. I was very glad that I didn't have to mow the lawn or trim the hedges; I was terrified of the lawn mower and the clippers, anything with blades really. We were finished hours before I would have been had I been alone.

Once we had put everything away and cleaned ourselves up we stood in the hallway for a moment. Jennifer took me in her arms and laid a series of gentle kisses across my lips. "Do you do all that every week?" she asked, equal parts curiosity and concern coloring her voice.

"Yes. Most of the time my parents are too busy with work to do any chores. If I don't do them the house would get really dirty, really fast; and I hate living in a dirty house." I wrinkle my nose to enhance the effect of my words and she smiles to see it.

"Still, that's a lot for one person to do. Don't you ever have any help?"

"Well, you helped. Most of the time it's just me here so it's all my mess anyway." I wonder why she's asking all these questions. Where is she going with all of this?

She still has me wrapped in her arms and I feel her pull a little tighter as she replies, "You should have more help. Your parents shouldn't leave you here by yourself all the time." I look away from her as I feel tears build in my eyes. I know that she's right; I think it myself all the time. But what can I do? I can't control their actions. I can't keep my parents here. I have to wait for them to have time for me. She must have sensed my distress because she kissed my cheek and with false brightness declared "I'll just have to help you from now on. No more cleaning by yourself. I am at your disposal." At those last words she releases me and stoops into a mock bow, sweeping an imaginary hat from her head in an arc in front of her.

The action prompts a little laugh out of me, though tears still threaten. When she sees them still standing in my eyes she straightens and a sad look settles over her features. "Oh, Suzie. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you." She steps close to me and pulls me back into her arms. I grip her around her waist, bury my face in her shoulder, and let the tears fall. She had managed to hit on the one thing that hurt me the most, how often I was alone. I hated being alone. Whenever I knew my parents wouldn't be home when I got there a hole in my chest opened a little bigger and filled me with an ache I didn't know how to get rid of. It left me feeling so helpless and abandoned.

Spending time with Jennifer and her family had helped me to forget, for a little while, how often my parents weren't here for me. I understood that they had their jobs to worry about, but couldn't they spend some time with me. Didn't they ever worry about me? Didn't they understand that I needed them? "I know you didn't. It's not your fault. My parents are just...they're busy, that's all. They're always busy." I didn't move out of her embrace. I don't think I could have if I wanted to, my legs had gone all weak and shaky, and I needed her support just then.

Jennifer continued to hold me while I cried a little more. I felt one of her hands in my hair, the other rubbing my back. I calmed some, taking deep breaths. When I was more in control of myself I pulled back, not removing myself from her arms, and gave her a watery smile. I knew that I must look terrible, but from the look she gave me I would have thought I was the most beautiful creature on the planet. She wiped a few stray tears from my cheeks with her thumbs, and then just held my face that way looking into my eyes.

When she leaned forward to kiss me I closed my eyes and let myself be carried away on the feeling of it. Her warmth filled me, her scent enveloped me, her arms slid around me to hold me close, and her kiss was gentle but firm. I sighed into the kiss and leaned further into her. I wanted to be wrapped up in her forever. I knew that she would never leave me if she could help it, that she would always be there to protect me and love me.

A/N: Okay, so there's the first of two for you. Let me know what you think.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I think this may be the last chapter. I really don't think I could pull anything more out of this without detracting from the story. Sorry if that disappoints you all. I may put up an epilogue one of these days, but don't hold your breath waiting for it.

Disclaimer: I burned my fingers Sunday afternoon putting a pan away for my mother. It kind of hurts to type these notes. Anyway, I dedicate this to all those people who actually waste their time reading the notes I put on these things, I love you all.

The world dropped away while she was kissing me. My whole life condensed to the feelings she was inspiring within me. I was consumed by it. She became my sanctuary. I was so deep that I didn't notice my parents walk in the front door until I felt the thump of their briefcases hitting the floor through the soles of my feet. Jennifer must have heard and felt that too, because she broke the kiss and whipped her head in the direction of the door.

My parents stood there looking as stunned as I felt. Jennifer still had me wrapped in her arms and I was unwilling to let her go. They weren't supposed to be home until tonight, they were beyond early. It wasn't even noon yet. This isn't exactly how I'd wanted to tell them that I'm in a relationship with another girl, that I'm a lesbian, but it's kind of unavoidable now.

"Mom, Dad, you're home." There was still a quaver in my voice from my earlier tears and I knew the evidence of those tears was still easily visible on my face, and on the shoulder of Jennifer's shirt.

Hearing my words everyone's eyes were drawn to me. My parents' in shock and Jennifer's in concern. It made me nervous having them all looking at me, but I knew I had to do something before they cracked. Carefully I disengaged from Jennifer, telling her to stay put, at her nod I moved forward to my parents. They were so overwhelmed that I was able to pull them fully into the house and take hugs from them before they reacted.

"What," my father began, "exactly is going on here, Suzie?" His words brought my mother's keen focus down on me and I nervously cleared my throat and returned to Jennifer's side.

"Well," I wasn't sure where to begin. What was I supposed to say to them? How was I supposed to break this news without making things look worse than they were? More thoughts along this line were running through my head, but they came to an abrupt halt when Jennifer stepped up and offered her hand to my parents.

"Mr. Crabgrass, Mrs. Crabgrass, I'm Jennifer Mosley. I'm dating your daughter. It's a pleasure to meet you both." Where on earth had Jennifer gotten all that gumption? She was being very blunt, which I guess is just what my parents required. My father tentatively shook her hand while my mother gazed at her with a mix of horror and respect. Neither of them could resist her guilelessness. She was so open and honest that I'm sure they found themselves liking her despite themselves.

"How long has this been going on, Jennifer?" My father had apparently determined he wasn't going to get any answers out of me, and he was right. My brain had completely stalled, I couldn't move or speak, I could only watch in fascination as Jennifer answered him. My mother was apparently in much the same state as myself, I guess I didn't get it anywhere strange.

"Not long. It's only been since the last day of school, so two days. Today makes the third." She stood in front of him, barely having to look up to meet his eyes. I noticed her take cautious glances at my mother and I, it amused me to notice that my father was doing the same thing. None of us were really sure how Mom would react, but knowing that my father and Jennifer were behaving very alike amused me enough to break out of my stupor.

"That's right. Today's the third day." My mother's head snapped up to watch me as I spoke. I moved to stand beside Jennifer and take her hand. "It's all very new, but we've told her family and a few of our friends know. I would have told you sooner, but this really isn't something to be left in a voicemail so I decided to wait until you got home. Come into the living room, we just finished cleaning everything up." With that I managed to get us all sitting, my parents in separate armchairs and Jennifer and I on a loveseat.

"How did this all start?" These were the first words my mother had spoken since opening the door; it was a relief to know that she wasn't going to explode...yet.

"Well, it started with Jennifer getting an 'F' on one social studies test. She freaked out about it and was being very foolish about time management. I got worried when she started running around with a stop watch. She wouldn't listen to me so I cornered her and to get her to pay attention I sort of..." I paused her, unsure if I should be as blunt as Jennifer had been earlier, or if there was some more tactful way to say I licked her neck...there really wasn't.

"Sort of, what?" Again from my mother. She was listening intently and this pause made her impatient.

"Well, not sort of, I just, I licked her neck. It was the only thing I could think of to get her to pay attention, and it worked really well because it shocked her even more than we shocked you a moment ago." I rushed to defend my action without really needing to. My father looked at me with amusement dancing in his eyes. He'd never thought me capable of such an act. My mother wore an unreadable look, so I continued.

"Anyway, after that I realized I was attracted to her, and had been for a long time, so I started pursuing her seriously." My mother gave me a shocked look here; I guess she hadn't thought I'd been the instigator. "There was flirting, and a kiss or two, and then she freaked out and ran from me. So I had to chase her down again. It took a few days but-"

"But I came to my senses." Jennifer cut me off and continued to relate the tale briefly. "Really, I should have known fighting her was useless. I think I did know that subconsciously, but I was scared. I have no idea what I was scared of but, there you have it. Once I figured out that I wanted to be with her too, we made it happen."

"So, you two are in a relationship?" Mom is apparently asking the questions now, Dad has fallen silent. I think he thinks this whole thing is funny. "Are you sure this isn't just some experiment? You know, before you both go back to boys?" There's a slightly desperate edge to her voice. I wonder what she's thinking.

"Mom, it's no experiment. I tried dating boys, remember, they were...well, they were boys. They weren't Jennifer." Jennifer looked at me when I said this, there was wonder and joy lighting her face. A beatific smile spread and made her even more beautiful. My mother digested what I'd said.

"Surely you can't expect a relationship like, like this to last? What about the future? You'll go back to boys in the future? Get married? Have babies? What about all of that?" It isn't innocent questioning from Mom; she really wants this to not be true. She seems afraid almost. But of what?

"I don't know what the future holds. I don't know if I'll be with her forever. I don't know if I'll ever be with a guy again. But I know that right now, I'm with Jennifer and I intend to make it last. I'll be with her for as long as she'll have me. I don't know if I'll ever get married. And there's more than one way to have babies, when I'm ready for them. Mom, what are you so worried about? What's really bothering you about this?" It obviously wasn't the fact that I was with a girl; she had accepted that easily enough. There was something else she wasn't telling us.

She didn't say anything more. She just got up, gave us a contemplative look, and left the room. We all watched her, my father looked as puzzled as I was.

"Girls, I think you should probably leave for a while. We'll talk later. I still have to give you the overprotective father speech, Jennifer." He turned a smile on us and I knew he supported us. It was more than I had expected. It elated me, and made me feel shame at the same time. I hadn't given my parents any credit; I had thought the worst of them. It was nice to learn that they weren't the monsters I had thought they'd be.

"I look forward to it, Mr. Crabgrass. Suzie, we should go." Jennifer had stood, dragging me up by the hand. She shook my father's hand and pulled me toward the door. Before leaving she told my father that we'd be at her house and gave him the number there. With that done, she pulled me outside.

She was about to lead me away when I rooted myself to the ground. She stopped and gave me a confused look. "Just wait a moment, please?" Jennifer nodded and stood still while I listened intently for noises in the house. I didn't have to wait long.

My mother's voice rose in a shout, "Doesn't she know what this means for her life?! Doesn't she know how hard it's going to be for her now?! She'll never have a normal life! People won't treat her the same! This could ruin everything for her! Doesn't she understand that?!" I heard the murmur of my father's voice trying to soothe her, but she was apparently inconsolable at the moment. At least now I knew what she was really worried about.

She was fine with me being who I am, which was a relief. She still loved me, and cared about me. She was just worried about how the rest of the world would behave towards me. I don't understand why though. I'm not worried. My personal life isn't anyone's business but mine, my partner's, and my family's. If my being gay colors how people react to me, then I probably don't want to associate with them anyway.

I looked at Jennifer. "Come on. Let's go." She gave me a puzzled look for a moment and cast a worried glance back at my house where the voices of my parents were still raised.

"Are you sure?" She was sweet to ask, but I wasn't worried anymore.

"Yes. Jennifer, my parents still love me. They don't care that I'm gay. They're okay with me loving you. I don't care what the rest of the world thinks. We have each other, and we have our families. We don't need the rest of the world to approve, we'll be fine." I took her hand and pulled her down the sidewalk. The world was looking exceptionally bright on this second day of summer.

A/N: There you have it. The final chapter…unless I do an epilogue, in which case the epilogue would be the final chapter. Well, I hope you enjoyed it. Sorry for making you all wait so long for me to finish the piece. I hope you aren't disappointed.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: I wasn't really happy with the way I tried to end this one. It wasn't really finished, you guys were right. So, I went back and read the whole story today and came up with this epilogue, it's not perfect, but it's better than nothing. This one is dedicated to anexandra, who actually requested an epilogue for better closure. Well, here it is. I hope this meets to everyone's satisfaction.

Disclaimer: They don't belong to me, well except for the ones that do.

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The rest of the summer was spent pretty blissfully once my mother figured out that the world probably wouldn't care that I'm gay. Besides, we don't have to tell anyone else that we're in a relationship. All the people we care about already know, and nobody else matters.

Jennifer and I found ourselves dragged out on dozens of trips to the beach (where we owned the others in volleyball), woods (on a camping trip where Bobby almost lit himself on fire trying to cook a marshmallow, we're still not sure how that happened), the mall (where Liz took charge and made the boys look like pack mules), amusement park (where the cotton candy was so plentiful we ate ourselves sick on it), and to wherever else the family could think of. The summer was busy, but happy. I wished it would never end, knowing that once it did we'd be back in school and we'd have to deal with other people again. Handling our families was one thing, but handling a bunch of strangers or classmates is something altogether different.

Ned didn't speak to us at all over the summer. I know that hurt Jennifer's feelings; I could see it in her eyes whenever she caught herself telling stories that included him. Her eyebrows would pinch together and she'd look like she wanted to cry, she never did though. I think she'd have been happier if she had cried; at least it would have been some form of release. But she didn't, and I knew she wouldn't. She still holds hope that Ned will come around, and for her sake I hope she's right. Ned had been her friend all of her life, it would be stupid to end a friendship like that end over an imagined betrayal.

My father eventually did give Jennifer that overprotective father speech he'd threatened on the morning they caught us kissing. Of course, most of that speech was geared towards young hormonal males and didn't really apply to Jennifer; still, she listened dutifully and promised she'd always have me home by curfew. She always did too; have me home by curfew that is. She was never late in getting me home when my parents set a time for us. I think my parents knew that Jennifer would never do anything untoward with me, at least not if I didn't want her too, but they were cautious.

My parents made a better effort to be home with me more often. They even made a point to join in with the Mosleys on some of the outings and barbeques they held. I think my parents were drawn to the Mosley charm. Last time I checked up with them they were planning on a weekly card game with Jennifer's parents. That summer did a lot to bring our families together, our parents became fast friends and we were all integrated into the happy chaos that is the Mosley family.

It took a while, but Ned did eventually get over himself and apologize for how he acted. He and Jennifer were back to being best buddies by our freshman year. I don't recall any of our other friends having quite the same issues with our relationship as Ned did, but then I don't think anyone else had romantic intentions for either of us the way Ned did.

High school was an interesting experience for us. All the people in our class came to think of Jennifer and me as inseparable, joined at the hip, and as one of those permanent couples. And we pretty much were. Sure we got into fights, but who wouldn't? That was part of the fun of our relationship. I remember when we still hated each other and were competing in everything. That competition carried over into our relationship, of course mostly we only tried to out-do each other academically. Occasionally we'd try to beat out each other in sports, but mostly we stayed as a really good team. We never tried to out-do each other romantically speaking, not with gifts, or dates, or anything like that. We weren't actually out to win, only to tease each other.

We're all in our sophomore year in college now. Except for Jennifer, who being her typical over-achiever self is a year ahead and loving it. She's studying to become an architect and from what I've heard from her professors she's doing marvelously. Of course, I wouldn't expect anything less from my girl. Yep, we're still together. Living together actually, but attending different colleges. I'm studying interior design at a private university; she's at a larger state university on the other side of town. I'm certain that the two of us are going to make quite a formidable team once we've both got our degrees. Jennifer will design and build the houses, and I'll decorate them.

I still haven't beaten that girl in a tickle fight. But her younger brothers Thomas and Michael, now ten years old, are giving me tips and teaming up with me against her when we baby-sit them. It's loads of fun.

Aaron is still with Bobby, living in semi-domestic bliss. The two of them majored in drama and they now teach it at rival high schools by day and go clubbing by night. They drop in and check on Jennifer and me at least once a month, not including holidays when we see each other anyway. We usually end up playing charades with them and some of our neighbors (a good portion of which attend Jennifer's school).

Blake, after graduating high school, went into the military as part of the Air Force. He and Liz married after he got his wings. They now have three children, two boys and a girl so far, and one on the way. The oldest boy wants to be just like his daddy. The younger two, twins, are starting pre-school soon.

Mr. and Mrs. Mosley, or Sam and Abby as I've come to know them, are just as lively and joyful as ever. They play host to all of the family during the holidays, they seem to enjoy the stress of putting things together. I'll never understand it, but to each their own.

My own parents are still working and loving every moment of it. Dad still travels a lot, and he drops by whenever his work takes him through town. Mom is CEO of her company now and gets to make all the big decisions; she's raised the company's profits by almost 200. They put her on the front page of the Wall Street Journal once, saying how incredible her business skills were. We have the article framed and on the wall over the mantle with all the other family pictures we love.

Tonight's our anniversary, I always think of how we began on our anniversaries. Seven years we've been together, with no end in sight. I've planned a nice dinner at home. Two candles stand on the dining table Jennifer made last year and the meal is waiting, keeping warm in the kitchen. There's a ring in my pocket that I can't help but nervously play with. I want tonight to be perfect, better than perfect even. I'm going to propose tonight.

But for me to do _that _she has to get home first. Where the heck is that girl? Doesn't she know that I'm planning our future here? Goodness the least she could do is be on time!

Just then she walks in the door with a bouquet of light pink roses in one hand and a box of chocolates in the other. "Hey sweetheart," she greets me as she hands over her gifts and kisses me softly. "Happy anniversary."

"Happy anniversary, Jennifer." I finger the ring in my pocket as I come to a decision. Screw the plan, perfect is overrated.

I smile as I ask "Hey, Jennifer?"

"Yeah?" She gives me a curious look as she pulls off her shoes and closes the door.

She was halfway through removing her second shoe, bent over and braced against the wall with one hand. Her hair is falling in loose tangles over her shoulders and her jacket is sliding down her arms. She's never looked more beautiful to me.

"Will you marry me?"

The look of startlement on her face is absolutely priceless. I realize I'm not nervous. I love this girl, and I know that she loves me. And she proves it in the next moment when she whoops and grabs me up in an enthusiastic kiss.

When she finally pulls away we're both breathless, and I have my answer.

Jennifer laughs and says "I can't believe this. This is some crazy coincidence."

"What do you mean?" I watch her as she releases me and digs in her pockets and pulls out a box. She opens it and shows me what's inside, a ring, the match to the one in my own pocket.

"This." She laughs again. "_I_ was going to propose to _you_ tonight, but you beat me to the punch."

I laugh too and we exchange rings. We're going to be very happy together, I'm sure of it.

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A/N: And there you have it. I like it, I hope you do too. I am now going to call this story officially complete! As always, leave a review, I love hearing what you think.


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